Masquerade
by little3vil
Summary: "When an art student get kidnapped by the clowns and fall into the depth of hell. Will she survive or die in agony ?" - I don't own Tokyo ghoul, only that fan fiction content.- I'm not a native so I apologize for my grammar which I really try to improve. Also, this fic will contain blood, violence and slight sexual content so please be aware. best regards - A.
1. Chapter 01 kidnapped

**KIDNAPPED**

**Akane pov : **

Tonight, was a lucky night. I celebrated the end of the year , which I passed with honors and as a bonus, my friends offered to pay for the drinks. So here I was, midnight in the 4th district, overjoyed and light headed from all the tequila I've somehow managed to swallow. I'm not a drunker, so I was having a hard time, walking without loosing my balance. I had this kind of survival reflex, pretending to being on phone while walking alone at night. My home wasn't so far, so I had small chance being attacked, but better safe than sorry. My name is Akane. 26 years old, single from recent breaking, and currently completely drunk. What a honor art student I make... Walking slowly down a dark alley surrounded by high old buildings, I keep babbling, telling my imaginary friend at the phone, how was my so called "extraordinary night of debauchery" -which by the way could be summarized in four words : Tequila, girls-talk", period.

I was almost at my door, when I heard a loud sound about 30ish meters away. Startled, I bumped my phone, which hit the pavement with a tiny thud. I could have taken it from the ground, caught the keys into my pocket, and rushing upstairs, I could have asked who was there, I could have run. But somehow, I stood there, eyes fixed on the source of said noise, frozen body, irregular breath and a drum-like pounding heart. I could feel cold sweat running down my spine. I then heard another noise, about 10 feet closer. I was nearly about to pee myself, when I felt a furry thing against my leg.

"Mew " _It's just a cat_. I could see his yellow eyes shining in the shadow, surrounded by a thick black fur.

" You know you scared the shit out of me ", I said with a nervous laugh, caressing the little minx. I love cats so much. I love how their purr, how they show you their affection with ever so little gesture. Relieved, I took my phone and started searching for the keys in my purse. - _Should I take that little home ?_ -

Keys found, I finally managed to put them in the key hole after 3 good fails, and turned back to look at the little fur ball. But it was Gone. I quickly took a look around, but there was no way I could have spotted him in the thick darkness of the Alley. Resigned, I was about to open the door, when another noise coming from the same spot hold me back.

"Come on, I know It's you. I don't intend to spend the night outside so if you wanna have more hugs or food, you'll have to stop playing hide and seek and come to me."

Another noise. I was starting to get sleepy and I was also loosing patience. So after 5 more minutes waiting, I decided to go home. I opened the door and ...

"Boo."

Even before I knew where the voice was coming from, I felt violently pulled from behind by my throat. I tried to escape the grip of whoever was holding me, but before I could even make a move, They hit me at the back of my head, and I felt my consciousness drifting away, swallowed by the darkness.

When I opened my eyes, I was feeling like my head was about to explode. Events of the past night was slowly finding their way back into my mind. The bar, the girls, the cat... feeling a bit itchy, I was trying to scratch my nose, when I realized that my hands were tied behind my back. Then suddenly, I remembered. Someone attacked me in front of my door. Funny how the human brain reacts in that sort of situation. For some people, the adrenaline rushing through the veins while the subject panics, can make them more lucid than ever. For some others, the overwhelming dread paralyzing them completely, cutting off any survival instinct, or any capacity to think. I, was the third case. My brain was running a bloody race, imagining all the horrible things that might await me. And of course, It got me completely helpless in anyways.

I had something on my face preventing me to see anything even with eyes wide open. All I could see, was darkness. And All I could feel, was the rough and cold ground on my right side. I was lying alone, somewhere that was humid and cold, without any possibility to escape. In other terms, I was totally screwed. - _I don't wanna die like this, please god if you can hear me, I don't wanna die like this _my back was hurting. I started to roll a bit trying to ease the pain, but It didn't helped at all. Totally desperate, I was about to yell and cry for help, when I heard foot steps getting closer. I then stop moving, pretending being asleep.

" She's awake."

-_shit-_

"I know. I'll take care of that one, you, get to the 3rd floor, Yomo asked after you."

" Okay boss."

_I have to know where I am_

After some seconds when I could hear one of the men steps going away, the other one - the one who apparently was giving orders- spoke to me in a low tone.

"I know you can hear me."

-...

" I will untie you and giving you some water, so do not try anything stupid, understood ? "

I was scared, I was feeling nauseous and could barely breath.

" Answer me", the voice commanded sternly.

" ...Yes"

"Yes what ?"

"I understand"

" Good."

After a few seconds I heard the clinking of keys and the sound of a metal door being slowly opened. it took the man a few more seconds to pull me towards him and remove what was covering my face. Sweat had stuck my hair to my forehead and salty tears, which I had not felt run down, had made their way to my lips. From this angle, all I could see was a part of the metal floor, and the shoes of my captor. I could hear him moving around, and I felt his fingers pulling on my restrains.

"Sit"

My arms and ankles were numb, and I felt like moving would cause my body to break.

"I said, sit."

not wanting to get him pissed, I sat slowly on my heels, not without hissing from the pain.

" Drink", he said, handing me a bottle of watter. After little hesitation, I took it and drank it all pretty fast. I haven't realised I was so thirsty. After some seconds, he handed me a second one.

"Thank you"

The only light in the room was a gloomy ( ) hanging on the cieling. I could barely see 10 feet ahead. Once my eyes more comfortable, I could see boxes of some sort dispatched all over the room. The guy was waiting for me to drink, without a word.

" where Am I ?"

\- No questions

\- I kept drinking by small gulps, my eyes looking up along his legs, and keeping going up until I finally saw his face. Or should I say, His no face. He was wearing a mask, which was comletely white, without any decoration nor colours.

"You could have chosen a better one. It's not even pretty. I know an adress if you want."

I honestly didn't know then what made me say that. But if I had to find a reason now, I'd say that I needed to believe I still had even the slightest contrôle over the mess I was in. saying i wasn't afraid would be the biggest lie of History, but I still could try to hide It. Panic wouldn't get me outta that whole shit anyway.

" what ? "

" Your mask. It's ugly."

"It isn't meant to be pretty."

"But at least, it should be scary, I snapped."

"Oh ? So, you're not scared?"

" I am scared. but not by that thing" I said, trying to keep my tone composed. I didn't know if his silence was due to my repartee, or to a lack of interest, but wanting to relieve some stress I kept going.

"There Is a small shop in the 4th district. I went there once . We made a bet with friends. It was closed, but on the display were lots of masks. There were stuning beautiful and unlike yours, somewhat very scary. You really should go there."

I remembered the shop as soon as I saw the mask. It was a Sunday afternoon, me and my classmate were having a beer at a small bar downtown, when one of us, Tokiyomi talked about that shop.

_**Back then**_

_" It's said to be spooky" _

_" Come on Tok, you know ghost doesn't exist, right ?" I said mockingly_

_" I swear I heard about that"_

_"Well, I don't know anything about ghost, but The owner is said to be a freak" Akio Said, looking serious._

_" Come on guys are you serious ? above 25 years old and still freaking out about a damn child spooky-story ?" I seriously couldn't believe everybody was so wored up by rumors._

_" Well guys, I have an Idea. what about checking this out ?" Ran suggested, a wide grin plastered on her face_

_In the end, we did what she told, slightly tipsy, and maybe overexcited, we went into the 4th district of Tokyo around 6pm, and gathered in front of the shop. "HySy ArtMask" said the sign. the building wasn't so high, and I had to admit I was a bit disappointed. For a place which was said to be so scary, It was in reality, modest and discreet. We wanted to get closer, when we heard a loud noise coming from inside and what Tok swear to be a cry. Taken aback, the others ran down the street, when I got stuck there, utterly fascinated by the mask that were on display. It was spooky, strange, dark. But most of all, It was definitely art. I said I was an art student. Well, it was not ma major. Actually, I was studying English letters and Japanese History but I had a solid curriculom in art nevertheless. I was actualy painting and drawing good enough to get a second fellowship in art with limited discipline. And the more I was looking at those masks, the more I was mesmerized. I couldn't look away_.

_**Nowadays**_

"...Shut up and finish your drink."

not wanting to annoy him more, I did how I was told, slightly bored but also relieved that my strategy worked in turning the panic down. At least, for now. When I finished the water, the guy pushed me back in what I now could clearly see as a small metal cage, -not high enough for me to stand- before closing the door with a padlock. The room must have been huge because the slightest sound was echoing quite loudly.

" May I please know your name ? "

I saw it on the TV once when the little Rin disappeared in the Meiji shrine park. The psychologist said in case of kidnapping, the only chance for the victim to get out is 1) escaping, 2) gaining enough time for the rescue squad to find her. When Your captors gets to know you, you become more human. Captors tend to dehumanize their victim for they can easily getta rid of them in due time. So basically getting closer means being harder to kill. At least, I had to try something.

" I have no name. Now shut up and Sleep."

He must have put something into the water, because I was feeling indeed very sleepy. minute by minute The decorum get slowly swallowed by the darkness, and I fell once more into a deep slumber.

When I opened my eyes, my body was feeling more at ease. ever so slowly, I sat down, trying to see something around me. Unfortunately they had turned the lights off and I was in total darkness. After what felt like hours, somebody opened the door, going down what sounded like wooden steps. They wasn't coming to me, but instead seemed to search something among the boxes I saw earlier. Then I suddenly heard a cry.

" No... please... don't do that to me... please, I beg you" That was beyond fear. It was pure dread. High pitched, strangled, barely human. I could feel goosebumps covering my body.

"stop whining, human. You know that nothing you may say or do will save you from anything, right ?"

_human ? wait wait wait wait, what does that mean... ?_

" But... I... I have money, I can make you a rich man i swear"

"Pathetic. Humans are pathetic. You know what, I'll tell you a secret, said the voice in a composed and calm tone, you are so very certain that money means power. But that's only true among your kind. I, myself don't give a shit about money. And I do have plenty of power. I do it for fun. For the sake of ripping flesh and bones, just for the damn thrill, for the art. So now now, stop being a cry baby and accept your fucking fate as the man you claim to be"

" No, please, please, have mercy!"

The other man laughed. "mercy ? Are you so desperate to think I will pity you enough to let you go ? Well, fair enough. Let's play a game shall we ? I'll open that cage and count to twenty. If you can reach the door before I catch you, you'll be free to go. If you fail, I'll take an extra bite before the auction. Believe me, no one will give a damn If one hand is missing"

_"Human, Flesh, bones... extra bite, hand missing ? Oh my god Oh my god Oh my god... I won't ending up as a sex slave or as a pet for some psychotic bitch... I'll end up eaten by Ghouls."_


	2. Chapter 02 Into the darkness

after hearing the creak of what I supposed to be the door of the cage, the man, -or rather the ghoul- slowly began his countdown in a cheerful tone. I also could hear the other man rushing trough the room, tripping now and then, cursing while trying to find a way out. Panic made him lose it completely. If he had even listened a little more attentively to his surroundings, the poor thing would have known the door was on his left, not ahead. The footsteps I was hearing just before were coming from the left corner of the room, about 10, maybe 15 feet away from his little cell. Even I could tell it but of course it wasn't me who would get her hand eaten if I couldn't find the door. From that perspective everything must be completely different. The room must be a bottomless maze full of decoy, stretching endlessly without any way out to be found.

"14, 13, 12", the ghoul kept counting, joyfully.

The guy was now crying like crazy, hiccuping violently and hurting his own legs more by tripping over random items. After something like 3 seconds, no longer holding it, I shouted. "The exit is behind you fool stops panicking and return back where you come from. It's somewhere behind your cage on the left a little more towards the bottom."

"AW that is unfair, but sooow kind, you see someone is even keen to help you, human."

Said-guy though, kept for unknown reason going forward.

"7, 6, 5" counted the ghoul, voice full of excitment.

"I said behind you ! "

" Shut up !" the fool snapped, I know you're lying, you're with them, I wont fall for your tricks. !"

_As you wish. Go to hell mister rich man. _

"4, 3, 2, 1..." I'm comiiiiing, sing-sang the ghoul, which I could easily imagin licking his lips.

Suddenly, a heavy silence fell on the room. All I could hear, was my own breath and the small hiccups from the man who I could guess, was standing or crouching somewhere on the right part of the room, attentive of the slightest sound. The atmosphere was thick and even my own heart was beating stronger. And then, it came.

\- Boo.

The silenced was torn appart by yells of agony. I could hear the bones craking while the hands was ripped off, and every single chewing and swallowing noise as well, even amplified by the terrible accoustic of the room. I was having a hard time not to puke. Hands pressed on my ears, I was trying to cut off any sound, of course without any success. It was even scarier not to see anything. I could never forget that voice. The very same voice I heard before being attacked.

" too bad I can't eat your eyes", the ghoul said, throwing the mutiled guy back into the cage. I then heard him slamming the door, then going back from where he came, up stairs.

"Oh, By the way , he said, You should have listened, don't you hear ? I'm just behind you on the left. It seems someone have good ears" and with that, he left, letting me once again in the darkness with mister crying mess who was seemingly about to faint.

Someone came back after some time to treat the wound of the guy, than silence fell once again. I tryed to build a time line, but lost count after what I thought being 2 hours, not even knowing whether i'd see any light again. I curled like a ball on the floor, eyes closed holding my knees firmly against my chest.

_I'ts okay, It's okay, you've got it, you're gonna make it outta here, just calm down and try ya sleep. whatever little you can do, you won't do it exhausted. _After some time I eventually fell asleep.

I was woke up by some strenge noise behind me. Something was moving, just 2 or 3 feet from my back. I was listening, ever so attentively, but nothing came anymore. Just the damn silence. Then, someone opened the door of my cage, and put something inside before locking it again. I could smell some fired chiken scent in the air and my damn empty stomach started to growl.

"Eat, I know you're awake"

tortured by the that unrequired hunger, I slowly crowl my way to the entrance, to find a plate full of rice and fried chicken

" How did you know", I asked, grabbing a piece of chicken. I know, with all that blood in the air I shouldn't wanna eat, but I wouldn't go anywhere with empty stomach and drained of energy. moreover, I had to admit that food was smelling drooling good.

" Us ghoul can hear a heart beat more than 100 feet away. I can easily guess your feelings just by the way your breath changes, and the way your heart beats. Moreover, I'm pretty good at seing in the dark"

_Wow... no wonder why that fool had no chance of hiding._

I was expecting him to go back upstairs, but he just stood there watching me eating my chicken like a starving animal. embarrassing. as if it wasn't enough to be in a cage.

" You seem to have pretty good ears for a mere human", he said with his neutral and composed tone.

meal finshed, I pushed the plate back close to the entrance and crawled to the bottom of the cage.

" You seem pretty obedient. aren't you affraid ? Maybe I should scare you some more. Won't you ask me foolsih questions like all the others ? "_why are you doing this to me" _or beg "_please let me go"_, he said, mimicking the high pitched voice of the man from earlier."

"Why asking ?"

"Curiosity"

"If I answer, do I also get to know something in return ?"

"fair enough"

" I am scared. who wouldn't be ? I'm having a hard time not yelling and shitting my pants. But what's the point ? Whatever awaits me there's nothing I can do about it. of course I'm affraid i don't wanna die in sufferance. And hell yes, I wanna beg, beg like crazy crying my eyes out but once again, what's the point ? I've seen enough of what beggers become and I'm not feeling like entertaining you right now. I know You won't let me go. And even if you do, it'll be only to let me run a little and catch me later, seeing the hope dying in my eyes and the dread overwhelming my features probably just before you eat my eyes." I paused. He again, was listening. " and as for the why, Considering you're a ghoul I guess it implies me getting eaten at some point. So the only thing I do want to know is what will happen before, for I can at least have a chance to prepare myself."

Everything I said was true, but actually my lack of panic was less due to a logical thought than to a lack of emotions. When I was a child I got to pass some psychological test after I drew what was considered as "weird things". Turned out I was diagnostized normal, but with slight sociopathic tendancies. According to the therapist, I was suffering from a lack of empathy towards my kind, and i could be hard to reach on the emotionnal ground. My parents freaked out but he reassured them, saying I was still very young and lots of positive sign were showing hope. I adored animals and could feel a deep empathie towards them, and even if I was showing no interest in making friends, I deeply loved my parents which was showing through my draws as well. He recommanded them to show me love and to sensitize me more about feelings, encouraging my emotion to blossom more and teaching me how to understand them. "maybe she's just afraid to feel, he said with a smile, it will come with time" which was true. But it all got back at my parents death. A car accident caused by a drunk piece of shit. He hadn't even called for shelter, running away and letting them die in front of my eyes. At 8 years old I stood in the car for neerly 3 hours with my parents dead body. that day something broke inside of me that I believe can't be fixed. After years of therapy I still kept dreaming about it time to time and when the nightmere finally stopped, my feelings somehow vanished as well. I still could feel, but from a very distant point. like if I was looking at the emotion of someone els from afar. I could cut off what i considered to be unnecessary feelings when needed. The only emotions left untouched were the one I was feeling towards animals.

"I see, he said calmly, well, I'll tell you then. You'll be sold out at an auction where some rich ghoul will pay a high price to have you. whatever comes next isn't my business."


	3. Chapter 03 Sold

" I see... when will be the auction ?"

"Tomorrow night"

"Oh... okay."

Truth is, I never knew how to feel about Ghouls. People say they are wild animals. Acting from basic instinct, cruel and vicious. They say they are not...human. From a physical point of view indeed, they are not really human. High capacity to heal, incredible strengh and speed and massive weapon in a human looking body. well, maybe an upgraded version of humans. But when it comes to behaviour, I think their are very human. If animals act over their hunger, being driven by their instinct, they are not cruel. nor they are vicious. You must think I'm so verry wrong. I know what's going on in your head right now " a cat plays with his prey before eating and sometimes they don't even need to eat it" true. but that's it, cat plays. they see a moving things, they play with it like a toy until it breaks. I'm pretty sure I can tell the same about children when they see spiders, ants or snails for the first time. They find it disgusting or entertaining and the poor creature often end up dead. You also, me also, are crashing spiders just because we find them ugly. and Yes, of course humans can have empathy, kindness, love. But they also can be greedy, bloodthirsty, merciless, manipulative and interested. And noo need to visit a jail to see one of those, you just have to go to wall street.

Ghouls are the first predator that human should really fear. Same intelligence, same motivation, determination, same way to think but so much more power. We also are predators. But instead of hunting we chose what we called a civilizied solution : rearing. we litterally rear animals just for them to be killed and eaten. And we justify all ot this by our "superiority" over the other species. Human made himself the king of the world and a king has everything the hell he wants. But now, ghouls have arrived, putting us humans in a so uncomfortable situation. The king is about to lose his place at the top of food chain. Basically, ghouls are doing to us what we did to other species for thousands of years. Except for the rearing. So you see, It is really difficult for me to have an opinion about them. I just don't wanna be eaten. That's all. Lost in thoughts, I let my eyes wandering on his legs, one more time going up until I could see his neck. slender beautifully shaped neck_. I'd really like to see his face._

"May I ask for something ?" I asked still trying to stay composed.

" what again ?"

" If I'm going to die, and I do believe so, I would like to have a last wish granted."

"... do I look like a genie or something ?"

"... please. I won't ever ask for anything els"

"shoot"

" Can I have drawing material... and some light ? drawing... keeps the panic away. I'ts the only thing that makes me truely happy"

" You think I care about what you feel, human ?"

" No, I don't think so. But I think It wont change your life to grant me that last wish either"

after a few seconds of silence, he concludes: "I'll see what I can do." and with that, he left me to my thoughts.

I won't have any chance to escape from here. Even If I know where the door is, I don't know what was behind it. But I'll maybe have a chance with my so calld new owner. who knows. For now, I just had to stay calm and focused. calm and focused. I felt a tear rolling down my cheek. I really don't wanna die like this...

the guy came back a few hours later, or so I thought, with a little candle and said material. some piece of paper, caracoal and some shades of paint. It was more than enough. he left them just a feet away out of the cage, where I could reach them without needing the door te be opened, then left the room without a word. I grabed them and immediately started drawing. not being an expert with characoal, I had to use some more paper and sweating a lot before obtaining the wanted result. When finished, I took a final look on my art. A golden Mask with dark blood-runs which were stretching from the almond shape eyes, to reach the border of the mask. A corner of the mouth was slightly twisted down, in an expression of sadness, and the other upward, teeth visible, stretching to the ear in a demonic grin. poking between them, the Tongue was trying to lick the dark liquid from the caved eyes. And finally The nose, barely visible was pierced by two tiny holes. than satisfied, I folded the paper in 4 and I kept it in my sleve, and crumpled the useless ones into tiny balls. The candle was about to die and all that exercise had me exhausted. without noticing I drifted into sleep.

I woke up violently feeling pulled out of my cage by a firm grip."

Come out, rabbit, time to be sold." said an unknown voice.

My heart was pounding like crazy. The more we got close to the door, the more I could feel my stomach flipping. Oh my god... I'm done... And suddenly, all the feeling I had a hard time supressing overwhelmed me, taking me by surprise. galon of tears were flowing down my cheeks and along my neck, like an unstoppable torrent. the man dragged my upstairs, letting my feet hit the steps. then, afters days in the complete darkness I saw the light. A strong eye-burning light. Eyes half closed, I could hear the rumor of the crowd. And in the distance, the supplications of a girl who was dragged - it seems - to his new "master". The man kicked my leg, forcing me to kneel, before shackling my wrists and putting an Iron collar around my neck. I just stood there, In my little dress, bound and terrified, my remaining makeup running in black streaks on my face. My hair were like a dark mess sticked on my shoulders and forehead and I was shaking like hell. When I finnaly opened my eyes, the man was gone and beside me, stood the plaster-face ghoul in a ceremonial costume. I was on a wooden stage, spotlight on my poor figure, facing a dark crowd. The ghoul started to speak in a mike and all the spectators became silent. I noticed they where all wearing a mask. Anonymous auction. In order to save the few dignity, I kept my eyes on the ghoul, only known figure, and squeezed my draw, preventing me to have a panic attack. I wasn't really paying attention to what was said. My head was spining and again, I felt nauseus. I wanted all that shit being over for I can maybe have a chance to escape. Or at least die quickly. After some minutes, I heard applauses echoing and so I knew someone bought me. I saw everyting in a slow motion. Time got slower, noises got distorded and everything around me got blurry. I saw the man from before coming towards me from behind the heavy red velvet curtain and I felt draged away once again. somewhere in the back of the room, a piggy man was waiting for me, licking his lips. And then, the time came up to normal speed. Adrenaline seemed to have found it's way through my veins, making me more conscious then ever. taking advantage of the sudden lack of strengh into the man's grip, I stretched my arm in a desperate move towards the plaster-face ghoul. I somehow managed to grab his hand for a few second before I was harshy pulled away. Stupid isn't it, searching for help from the very same ghoul who put me there. but as I said. there's no logic into panic.

**Uta pov : **

The girl grabbed my hand. _Humans are so stupid. was she really hoping that i'd help her ? Was that the reason why she kept playing nice all along ? stupid_. I watched Yomo dragging her away, and was about to resuming the auction when I felt something into my palm. _A piece of paper ? _


	4. Chapter 04 Questions

**Akane pov : **

Once at the back of the room, I was thrown into the pig's arms. " She really smells divine. sweaty and Disheveled, but i'm sure she'll look pretty after some effort", he said to the man who was taking the due money. "I'll have a very good time with you before eating your flesh, my dear", he said licking my left cheek. I really wanted to die now. Pulling at my restrains, the fat ghoul dragged me through a little door on the right, leaving the auction room. After passing a few more corridors upholstered in red velvet, we got out into a dark alley where a blue berline was waiting.

" to home", said piggy to the middle age driver.

" Yes Sir"

" So, my dear, started th ghoule, You look very obedient, that's why I bought you. Do you know why i do like silent obedient little girl ?"

He was obviously waiting for an answer. _BECAUSE YOU ARE A GOD DAMN PERV, YOU FILTHY ; FAT LITTLE SHIT !_

"no, Sir", I said shaking my head. He smiled.

" because I love making them cry in despair. It's not fun when they are already kicking and screaming. I will tear you appart, slowly, and everyone of your cries will be MY doing" he said with an evil grin.

the rest of the trip was silent. He was looking at his phone and I was trying my best not turning crazy, keeping myself deep in random thoughts, focusing on the landscape behind the window. I'll find a way, I have to. fidgetting with my hands, I suddenly frowned: where is my draw ?

we were about to turn on the right when the car got hit by something at high speed. thrown forward, my head violently hit the driver's seat with a thud. broken glass had fallen on my lap and part of the door had been sunk. I turned my head towards the pig, but it was gone. Something had dragged him out of the cabin, leaving only a trail of thick blood behind. I could feel something hot running down my right cheek, things were dancing before my eyes and sound seemed to come from afar, echoing loudly. Cries, crumpled sheet, bones cracking. My head was spinning and at some point I puked myself before fainting.

bip_bip_bip_bip_bip

I opened my eyes on a ceiling of white cork. I was lying on my back, on something soft and fluffy smelling like clean linen and disinfectant. where am I... what happened...remembering the feeling of whatever was running down my face I touched my cheeks with my fingertips. nothing. It felt like I've been sleeping for days. Transparent pipes coming out of my right arm and I could hear an annoying steady bipping sound echoing in the silence. That's how I knew I was in the hospital. Daylight was entering the room through a large window and I kept stearing at the sky for a long moment. I have never realised until now, how i loved daylight. after some hours of that calm, sleepy state, a nurse entered the room after a small knock.

"Ah, Miss Tachibana, you are awake", she said with a gentle smile.

" Where Am I ?" I barely recognised my own voice. my throat was so dry, that it came out raspy and ravaged.

You are at the 5th district hospital, miss Tachibana, she answered, you are safe now.

"how long..?"

"you had been unconscious for 4 days. You arrived in March the 3rd with a concussion and severe dehydration. The doctor in charge will give you more details later." she explained calmly

"Can I have some watter...please ?" My throat was seriously burning.

"Of course Miss Tachibana, I'm coming back right away", she said , walking to the door. " Oh and, some Inspectors want to talk to you. I made them wait until you wake up by yourself, but I can make them wait a little longer if you don't feel like talking for now. "

"It's okay, I said, let's get this over with"

"As you wish, miss."

Some minutes after, she came back with a glass of fresh water- which I drank straight away- and followed by two men wearing dark suits and light coat.

"Miss Tachibana ?", the first one asked with a low voice. He was tall, more than average. His face was slender but with a masculine jaw line. the other one who was standing two feet behind, was smaller with blond hair and weird red stiches under his lips and rigt eye.

"Obviously, yes" I said

"hm. May I introduce ourselves, my name is Amon Kotaro and here is my partner of the day, Suzuya Juzo, he said pointing the small one. We are CCG inspectors and we are here to ask you some question, If you are okay with it."

"CCG ?, I thought you were police officer", I said, drinking up the water.

"Commission of Counter Ghoul, said Zuzuya, federal agency that serves as a criminal investigative body in cases connected to ghouls, as well as to hunt down and imprison or kill any runaway ghouls."

"Oh... I didn't know there was a special organization for that"

"So may we ask some question", said Amon.

"Please go ahead", I said tiredly.

"Do you remember what happend to you 4 days ago ?"

His dark grey eyes were looking at me intently. The other one, seemingly bored was letting his eyes wandering around as if lost in space.

"I... I'ts a quite blurry, I'm affraid.", I said -which was true- images of the events came back to me in small fragments, like tiny bits of an incoherent story.

" It's okay Miss Tatchibana we know it have been quite traumatizing, take your time we aren't in rush."

"We... I just got graduated and... My riends and I went celebrating in a bar of the 13th district. I... live in the 4th so it wasn't so far", I Said trying to put pieces back together. "I was quite drunk and... not feeling very well so I decided to go home" I paused, looking at Amon, without really seeing him. "You should have a seat, I said. It's... disturbing having you standing there, and It will probably take time so..."

"Oh, Thank you I didn't want to impose myself..."

"It's fine"

" So you were saying you went back home, what happened next ?" He said bringing us back on the matter.

" I reached my door but couldn't find my keys. The alley was dark since the lightbulb broke months ago and nobody took care of replacing it so...

I tried to find my keys into my purse, when I heard a noise. I froze, waiting when I realised it was just a cat. I was considering taking him home, when after hearing a second noise I got attaked from behind. Someone was pulling me by my throat..."

"Have you seen that man face ?"

"I... no." I answered, remembering the masked ghoul.

He wrote that down on a little pocket book, then made a sign for me to resume my testimony. My eyes absentmindedly fixed on his hand, I continued.

" I fainted... I... woke up In a dark place in what looked like a small cage and after a very long time someone came for giving me water. And then..." I stoped and closed my eyes. Everything came back to my like a slap on my face. The gloomy hide and seek where the poor man got his hand eaten, the huge stage I was kneeling on, the auction, the pig licking my cheek, the promise of a long and painful death. Tears started running down my face and I my body started to shake.

"Then ?"

" He must have put someting into the water because... last thing I know, I was dragged by an othre man to a fat ghoul who licked my cheek promising me a long and painful death" my voice broke. Amon waited patiently for me to calm down before asking another question"

"Was the ghoul driving the car we found you in ?"

_So I was still into that car... ?_

I frowned, and looked at the young inspector who was now staring at me, smiling maliciously. _what a weirdo_

" No, I said, He was sitting on the back just by my sides." The mere thoughts was giving me the creeps. "He told me how he would spend some "good time with me, making me cry for his own entertainment before ripping the flesh of my bones". Then we kept driving in silence. I... I was paralized. I was so scared... all I could think was " I don't wanna die this way, god I beg you, If you ever can hear me, I don't wanna die this way" Strange isn't it, I said wiping my tears away, I'm not even a believer. the worst part Is , I didn't even try to escape. You see that type of situation everyday on the T.V, comfortably sitting on your couch, claiming that you would have done better, but when you are facing it for REAL you just... cand do shit. I should have tried something, anything, I said hicupping uncontrolably...I.."

"You were desperate and scared, You... have done nothing wrong, said Amon with empathy, you shouldn't be so hard on yourself." He once again let me calm down before asking : "did you stop in your way ?""

" I don't think so... I can't really remember. I think at smy brain just ... shut the light down for my own sanity"

" I see... what happened next ?"

" We got hit by something. my head hit the driver's seat and all I saw before losing consciousness, was the blood on the seat, on my legs, everywhere. Everything was so damn bloody and everyone was gone. Then... I woke up here"

" Anything els ?" Asked Amon

" No... I'm sorry I know It must be useless..."

" Don't worry, actually It helps a lot. Thank you for talking to us so soon." He said, standing up. if by chance you remember anything els, please call me. Same goes for your safety. If you ever feel in danger, If you just wanna talk to someone, call me, I'll be there as soon as I can." He said handing me his card.

" Thank you Inspector, I appreciate it."

He was walking towards the door, when I called him back.

" Inspector Amon"

"Please, call me Kôtarô"

"... what happened in that car ?"

" Are you sure you wanna know ?"

"No, but... I don't wanna stay like this.", I said back.

"Someone found you unconscious in the car. You were covered in blood and dehydrateted. The ghouls who were with you were found besides the car. Or should I say, piece of them. Actually I find it very odd. Ghouls eat humans, not other ghouls even if some case of Cannibalism were listed on our archives, it's not very common. Still, the only one who survived that slaughter was also the only human on the scene."

"... are you saying I'm suspect ?"

" No, miss Tachibana, not at all, I'm just trying to understand. No please excuse us, we have work to do and you should rest. We have a good psychological assistance for ghoul's victimes and also a self-defence programme. Give it some thoughts." He concluded passing the door, followed by a huming Suzuya.

I don't know why I haven't say a word about the auction. If other humans were being captured like this I should do everything I could to help taking that organization down. Maybe a part of me was thinking it was making what happened less real. Another one wanted to not getting involved any further. And deep down inside my mind, maybe in the darkest corner of my conscience, I knew there was something els. I could still talk about the auction later, puting my sudden memory both on the concussion and trauma. Who would blame me ? After all, It wasn't like I really lied. I just... selected the truth.

_Yeah, sure, keep telling you that_

Amon pov :

" What do you think Juzô ?"

"...hmmm"

"Do you think she told us the truth ?"

"... I don't think she was lying. But I think she's hiding something"

"I know something felt off, but... I can't see any reason she would do so"

" I don't know, people can act weird sometimes, for any reason."

"Yeah... let's see if she remember something els."

" We still can keep an eye on her"


	5. Chapter 05 Climbing up the slope

**Some months later**

**Akane pov**

It's been 8 month since I was attacked. And obviously my ability to refrain my feelings wasn't enough to cope with it any longer. It's been 8 month and I haven't put a single foot out of my house exception made of my weekly training at CCG. After getting out of the hospital every thing was going fine, at first. But A few days later, I had begun suffering from night terrors. Night after night I was living the whole shit again in extremely vivid nightmares and was waking up in sweat, crying for help. In my dreams the car never stopped and the fat ghouls tortured me for hours before finally eating me. At some point it began being difficult to go outside. I eventualy stopped picking up the phone, until it just stopped ringing. It was even impossible to paint. I ordered grocery by the internet and I had a security door installed with 7 locks. The owner was only too pleased that I paid it out of my pocket. My social life was no longer existing, and on my way home from the CCG I couldn't stop lookin behind me. I starteed going at the training session some week after the beginning of my terrors. I wasn't keen. I just wanted to move on. But something wouldn't let me, so I decided to give it a go. 2 times a week, I'm meeting Amon and His team for a self-defence training. 3 or 4 hours learning how to survive, escape and protect yourself in case of a ghoul attack. I was puting all I had into it. my nerve-wracking nightmares, my hate towards my own weakness, towards what happened. Amon seemed to think I had a gift for fighting. Apparently I had better reflex, muscular tonicity and a better sense of hearing than the average. Which would be really helpful against ghouls. Step by step I learned to master different weapons and techniques and even started to appreciate it. Having no parents nor friends anymore, the team was being like a familly. I was calling Amon sometimes just for hearing a familiar voice. He kept insisting that I consult the psychologist but I always refused it. First of all, I had my pride. and Second, I freaked out when he told me about hypnosis. I still haven't told the truth about the auction and the more time passed, the less a sudden return of my memories was credible. I tried going out a couple of time, and even if my improving fighting skills tended to give me some confidence, I still wasn't feeling safe enough to be confortable. But today, was the D Day. I've decided It had to stop. So here I was, facing the mirror, puting on some makeup. I was running out of savings and I needed to find a job. Moreover, inactive artists are quickly forgotten so I also needed to start painting again. I had to find some inspiration outta those walls. After a long time thinking, I chose to wear a pale pink bouse and a black skirt . Cute, a bit sexy but not too much. Pink suited my skin tone and made me look good. I was having an interview in the afternoon, and Amon invited me out at a fancy restaurant hoping celebrating the good news of my hiring.. Everything is going to be okay, you'll be just fine. Take a deep breath, and go for it. One by one I opened the locks on my doors, breathing deeply, ignoring the knot forming in my stomach. The first step is the worse. I walked outside timidly, closed the door behind me closing two locks - in case I had to open it quicly later- and walked down the corridor until the lift. once down, I made my first step, back into the flux of life.

They had the light repaired. After I had threaten to drag them into court. But at least they managed to do it. I looked on Google maps for checking my path until the gallery, and started to walk. The gallery was a moderate size one, located on the 5 district. Thanks to the CCG I knew which place to avoid and the 5th was said to be pretty safe. The sun was high, but a cold november breez was blowing, making me tightening my coat around my body. After 20 minutes walking, I saw it. "Gallerie Yoshiki and Son". I passed through the door and was welcomed by an old man and his warm smile.

"Good afternoon, you must be Miss Tachibana, is that correct ?"

" Indeed. Good afternoon mister Yoshiki, I'me really pleased to meet you"

"Please have a seat", he said pointing a nearby stool.

" I'm really thankfull for the opportunity to show you my work."

"Well, Miss Tachibana, I've sawn a bit of your art and I really like It. But ... you haven't painting anything for nearly a year now and... I'm really sorry for having you come to me today, but I didn't want to say it on the phone... I already gave the job to a freshly graduate student."

"Oh..."

"I know you must be very disa.-"

"It's okay, don't worry about it Mister Yoshiki, I understand." I cut, standing up. It was very considerate of you to tell me directly. I wish you have a nice day, Sir.

"Wait, I-"

But I was already gone. I didn't wanna hear any excuses, I didn't wanna be looked down on. I just wanted to be alone. I started running away, trying to get home before bursting into tears. not wanting to walk anymore, I decided on taking the bus and calming down a bit. But not paying enough attention I took it the wrong way. I hadn't notice it before a long time as I don't take it often, but When the driver anounced "last stop" I knew It wasn't mine.

"Excuse me, Sir, I think I might be lost"

"Where are you going Miss ?"

" To the fourth..."

" The fours ? well, you should have taken the one coming after me. We are in the 14th."

" The 14th ?"how the hell did I end up in Nakano ?

"Yes m'am. the fastest way to go back to the fourth is to walk through that block down the road and wait for the 16th Bus to Shinjuku. Or if you feel like it you can walk some more and take the subway."

I can't take the subway it's too dark... let's go to the bus

" Okay, Sir, thank you for helping"

"No problem, have a nice day"

" And you"

face-palming me for being sutch an Idiot, I started walking down the road like indicated. Lots of people were doing shopping around me and it was reassuring to see some crowd. I was almost at the bus station when something caught my attention.

On a Bar's door, a sign was saying :" Helter Skelter Bar, Hires Waitress. 30 hrs / week, 1500 Yen/hr + Tips. Opening : 7pm - 2am 6/7 Closed on Sunday. 03 3386 4461"

I already had some experience in Service and Bartending from some previous student jobs and I really needed a job. Schedules were not reassuring, but the area was well attended and I could always use my tips to pay for a cab. After a second thoughts I decided to call.

"Allo ?"

"Allo, My name Is Tachibana Akane I'm calling you for the job you're offering"

"Oh... I see. are you nearby the bar, right now ?"

"Yes, I'm just in front of it", I said excited

"Okay. I'm on inventory right now I'm coming", the feminine voice said before hanging up.

After 2 minutes the door opened on a smiling redhead.

"Hi, I'm Itori, nice to meet you"


	6. Chapter 06 Fresh start odd carte

The bar was not very big, but it was enough to allow a hundred people to have a drink there. it smelled of old wood, fine alcohol and a hint of something heavier and thicker. The dark brick walls and the half-zinc half-timber countertop gave the whole room a very industrial atmosphere. A larger room stretched discreetly a little behind, on the left, right in front of which I presumed to be a small kitchen. I smiled. Large shelves behind the bar, home to dozens of different bottles, some covered in accumulated dust, others offering a very small bottom of drink, barely visible. I already loved the place.

"Any experience on the field ?" Asked Itori, checking me out from head to toes.

"Actually, yes, I said. I used to work as a bartender to pay my studies"

"I see", she said, seeming deep in thoughts.

"I am a hard worker, and I can make good cocktails" , I added, trying my best to sell myself.

"Well, sounds fine, but … you look quite shy I don't know if you really have the profile."

"but…"

"Listen you're deliciously cute but…."

"I need that job, please. Let me have a try. I BEG YOU, I'll clean anything you want, do extra time if needed but please…. Don't turn me down on my look…."

the redhead looked like she was in a dilemma. After what felt like hours of intense reflection, she finally sighed, raising her arms.

"It's OK, she said, I'll give you a try. Be here tomorrow evening at 7pm sharp. Do not be late."

"Thank you, thank you so much!", I said without hiding my excitement.

"Do not thank me, I didn't say that I was going to hire you."

"But at least you give me a chance, Mrs Itori, it's more than enough. I swear to not disappoint you."

"It's Itori, drop the "Mrs". ... well, if you do disappoint me I could always serve you to my customers as a meal," she said with a smile.

"hahah yes, all right, let's do that, I said, finding her humor a little strange. Well, I'll leave you to your inventory."

"See you tomorrow ... Akane, right?"

"Yes, that's it, Tachibana Akane."

"See you tomorrow, Akane," said Itori, "ah, and ... wear something less ... well, I mean a bit more ... sexy"

"Ah ... uh ... alright, I'll do my best," I say, greeting the woman one last time before walking through the door.

_aaaaaaaaaaaaah i got a try !_ Well, nothing was won, but at least I could prove myself. Of course It wasn't the job of my dreams, but it would pay the bills the time for me to renew my creations and to make my come back on the art scene. Luck seemed finally to turn. Light heart, I started walking down the road to the bus station.

**Itori Pov**

Why is it always when you're busy that someone has to interrupt...? It has been 2 weeks since I plastered that poster on the door and a few people came for giving me their Curriculum. Almost all men, but either they would be over-skilled, or useless but anyway, no one of them was to my liking. That kind of job wasn't really popular among women who were quite afraid to go back home so late, so I was really surprised to see that little one at my door. A fucking human, with that. I should have turn her down firmly, frightening her if needed, I thought, but … was it because she had a heavenly smell, or because of her determination? I don't know something made me let her have a try. Well, like I said, I still could eat her If she was bad… little did she knows I was serious. I'm grumpy those days, and when I am, I need a bloody mess to calm me down. I just hope It won't end up by a bloody treat here.

**Akane pov**

Back home, I dropped my keys on the table and sat on my couch. Not bad for my first day back in the real life, isn't-it? Maybe I was over reacting and maybe I was safe now. Maybe I could stop startling at the slightest sound. Hope was back on my life and It was feeling damn good. I couldn't wait to meet Amon and give him the good news. I should also tell him I would only attend on one session a week. It was time for me to start seeing other people, meeting friends. Resume the course of my life where I had left it 8 month ago. 2 hours before he would pick me up, I took a fresh shower and selected a nice outfit. I didn't wanna wear oversized clothes anymore. I didn't wanna be invisible anymore. Time had come to reach for my old self. My old, colorful and sexy self. I decided on a green dress with lace-made short sleeves and a slot that discreetly unveiled my leg. The length was just above the knee, and It was both elegant, and a little tad. Amon have been so kind to me since the incident… I couldn't deny I wanted to surprise him. And It wasn't like he wasn't attractive. He had a strong muscular body, a reassuring size, and a mesmerizing, tender gaze that would make any woman's heart melt. Part of the CCG team was already making fun of us saying we'd do a cute couple. Part of me was taken aback but… another one had to admit not hating the idea. Yeah, he certainly was worth the look, but what I preferred about Amon, was his personality. many men would at one point have tried to take advantage of the situation, but… from the very moment we met and until now he has always been a perfect gentleman. So… maybe I should, try something with him?

I was lost in thoughts when the doorbell rang.

"Hey."

"oh wow… you look…"

"less boyish?" I asked, smiling.

"Stunning. You look stunning.", He said with big eyes.

"Thanks….okay let's go before it becomes awkward.", I half joked.

We slipped into his car and drove, in silence. We were both nervous and I was starting to regret wearing that dress. It was obviously too much. After some minutes we reached the parking lot nearby the restaurant and he parked.

I was quite surprised when I saw the building. It was so…luxurious. I mean, of course it was, we were at Ginza after all, but this was quite something. We were led to our table quite immediately after we entered in, and were offered two glass of champagne.

" Is something wrong?" He asked after some more quiet minutes.

"Oh… no, don't worry I'm just… well, I wasn't expecting that"

"Yeah, I know, one of my superior told me about this place, saying it was a nice spot to treat a woman to diner and he booked for me, but… it may be a little too much. I'm sorry… I don't go out very often so…"

"Oh please, don't be sorry. I'm sure any woman would kill for it. I'm just not used to that kind of place." I said. So here we were, both embarrassed and slightly amused by the situation. At some point we laughed and the tension went down.

"So, did you get the job?" he asked looking at the menu with a worried expression.

"Not..really. But I did get one job, I think. Well technically it's a try but… It's positive." I said back, understanding what that concerned look on his face was coming from. My card had no price written on it. I smiled. _Let's make him sweat a bit. "_The lobster looks really yummy don't you think?" I said throwing him a glimpse. The poor man was gulping. "and the caviar toast must be a really good match with the Dom Perignon Champagne "Now he was really about to lose it. "I'm joking" I said, Not wanting to tease him any longer. "Actually, I'm feeling a bit uneasy here. Let's go somewhere else."

"No, please, I mean you can order anything you want, It's perfectly fine"

"Okay, everything I want?"

"Yes…absolutely."

"I really wanna eat some Ramen with shrimp tempura and a bunch of Takoyaki. Come on, let's go somewhere else.", I said smiling.

"Okay you are crazy.", he said laughing after I dragged him outside by the hand just before the astonished waiter. "why didn't you get the job?" he finally asked after a while walking.

"well, apparently I stood inactive for too long. Things can move pretty fast on the art market" I explained.

"oh I'm sorry"

"It's fine."

"you talked about another one? What kind of job is it for offering a try? how did you found that"

"Well, basically I was a bit shaken for being turned down by the gallerist, so I took the wrong bus and ended up in Nakano, then I saw that poster on my way to going back home and It's for a waitress job"

"Oh… isn't it a bit far from your field? "

"It's okay. I really need a job right now and it's quite well paid."

"What about the schedule?"

"7pm to 2am 6/7"

"Okay so that's why its well paid., he said. It's risky."

"I know but I think it's time for me to stop being afraid. I have to move on. I have to."

"Yah I know, and I'm not trying to hold you back or whatever, he said concern in his voice. I'm just saying you should take it easy"

"I'm taking it too easy for months now, I cut, frowning. I can't let fear driving my life anymore" We entered a small shop, taking a seat at the counter. After some quiet time looking at the menu, we ordered two big ramen bowls and some tempuras.

"I'm sorry… I was just showing concern that's all", he explained.

"I know" I smiled. "Anyway, It's just a try. If I'm feeling uneasy, I'll search for something else. I promise. And nobody said I'm gonna be hired anyway."

"What are you talking about? They will adore you, I'm sure. Alright. You are too stubborn for listening to me anyway."

"Damn right. "

"Would you allow me to pick you up after your shift?"

"I think I can do that" , I said, smiling for good. We then eat, talking about random things and drank some beers. 3hours later, Amon was carrying me home, when he said: "We found another victim last night."

"where?"

"Nakano", he said tightening his grip on the stirring wheel. "I didn't want to drive down the mood, but… you really have to be careful, okay ? We haven't found the culprit yet."

"Oh… Yeah, sure."

" I'm serious about this Akane, I…. don't wanna lose you"

"You too, Kô…be careful"

We resume the driving in silence, and I went home quite spent. Long day. Another attack…but if they found the victim's remains, I was doubting It was the same ghoul. And Maybe Amon was being a bit over protective, but I had to admit it gave me serious concern. Maybe I should find something else… I still had a little time left before completely running out of savings. I poured myself a glass of red wine and mad a bath run while turning on the music. I liked having me completely under water. It was so… quiet. So warm and quiet. _Let's decide on what to do tomorrow_

I woke up past 12, fully rested and ready for the coming evening. The night had been a good councilor, and I had finally decided on going on that try. It was just one shift after all. The day went by quite smoothly, watching TV, reading a bit and buying some art material online. I took the bus around 6pm, not wanting to be late. As days were getting shorter, The night was already falling and it was quite chilly. Lots of people were hanging out on the streets, for an afterwork shopping session or an evening walk. Even if Everything was brightly enlightened by the neon signs, I had to admit I was slightly more intimidated by the decorum at night. But I kept going, breathing deeply, at a slow pace. It was 6.45 when I reached the Bar's door, greeted by A grumpy Itori who was having a hard time fixing the oven in the kitchen. Apparently, it kept making weird noise and spreading gaz around. So we had to keep the windows open in nearly winter. Marvelous.

"Get the Bar set, cut some lime, crush the ice and clean the counter as well as the remaining glass, she said, her head still into the oven. I'm almost done here"

"Okay… what about my coat, I asked"

"You can leave your stuff here", she said, pointing a small locker under the counter top. The first customers came around 7.30, a couple who sat on the back of the room, at a small table. the bar offered lots of alcohol, but oddly enough, the most requested drink was a sort of syrupy red wine served fresh with two or three ice cubes. As for snacks, we had salad, and club-sandwiches, but the most requested meal was our homemade meat pie. Most of customers were loners, or groups of friends coming for a drink and a little chat with Itori before leaving. She sure had some success with both men and women. And I could easily understand why. She was sexy as hell. Feminine, with bright fire-like hair and hazelnut/ orange eyes, she had a god damn smile. The way she moved, the way she talked were brimming with self-confidence. I couldn't deny part of me was envious.

"Hey, assistant, stop day-dreaming and give me some Ice-cubes and go taking the order of the table n°3, it's the one in the left corner" Said Itori.

"Copy boss, I'm sorry" After giving her the Ice I went to the table where two men were sitting and having a chat.

Good evening gentlemen, what can I do for you?" I asked with my better smile.

The first one, with light brown hair and dark eyes checked me out for 5 very long and very embarrassing seconds, before ordering : 2 home wine glass and a piece of that cute ass of yours", he said grinning. "Yeah I'd love eating you out baby" The other one said sneering. I was having a hard time not to spit on their faces, but I couldn't mess up my try, right? So I tried to keep cool and took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry gentlemen, I think you miss read, the crew isn't on the menu", I said back going back to the counter with a forced smile and a death glare. Seriously If my eyes could have thrown daggers, they would have both ended up stabbed. Some glass of home wine and liters of bourbon later, they were both pretty drunk and quite insistent. Around midnight, one of them grabbed my ass with a full hand and I just… lost it. I hadn't realized until then how much I was disgusted by a man's touch. Since That damn pig laid a hand on me I hdn't being touched by anyone yet and when that guy grabbed my cheek, All the rage I was somehow holding in from that night, just… blew out. It all happened so fast, and before my brain could even process the whole thing, all the eyes in the room where gazing at me. It turns out that Without even thinking, I had grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back, and had broken his glass to put one of it's broken piece under his jugular. "If you touch me again, bastard, I swear I'll kill you" When I realized what happened, I stepped back, dropping the "weapon" down, And I ran to the back of the shop.

"Okay guys show's over, come on lets have some fun", I heard itori saying, putting up some cheerful music. Once everything back to normal, she came checking up on me, only to find me crouched on the floor, head on my knees.

"Are you okay sweety ?"

"I'm so sorry Itori, I don't know what happened…I just… I'm sorry"

"Hush, It's okay, come one get back to work we'll talk about this later."

I was screwed. No way she'd Hire me after that fuss. The end of the night went quite smoothly, with me trying to be as discreet as a ghost, and trying my best to ignore the death glare from the man I threated. After all the customers were gone, Itori tod me to have a sit on one of the high stool before the counter, and poured me a glass of tequila with a slice of lemon before pouring herself a huge glass of home wine.

"I don't even know what to say, Itori, I'm really sorry. I'll help you finish and go. You don't even have to pay me."

"What are you talking about?"

"You certainly don't want me as an employee now, do you?"

"Why not?"

"Well… I almost killed one of your customer tonight…"

"He's a jerk. He's always been acting like that for as long as I know him, serves him right, he'll probably think about it twice before grabbing someone ass like this", she said. "that being said, I'd appreciate if you could be more gentle with my glass. They are pretty expensive." She said, smiling. "No seriously Akane what a hell was that? You really are something aren't you. you sure have some very good reflexes."

"Well…"

"Listen, I didn't know if I was gonna hire you or not before, but you really got me. I like you, you've got some nerve."

"So…"

"Welcome on board sweet-heart, you're hired, cheers!", she said clinging our glass together. We drank some gulps, before I finally asked :

"Itori, what is in that home wine that everybody seem to be so keen of?"

"It's a secret, honey believe me you don't wanna know. If I tell you, I'll have to kill you.", she said laughing.

"Alright, alright, I said laughing also. Let's finish up, I'm spent."


	7. Chapter 07 Hide and seek

**Author Note : **

_Okay guys, my name is Anna and first of all, I really wanted to thank you for reading my story. I really would like to make something worth your time, but as I said I'm not a native and I would really appreciate it if you could help me through your reviews. I'm getting slowly to the point, but I had to set the whole décor first and I didn't wanna rush it. _

_Please, have a nice day everyone and thank you so so much once again for your time. _

_Best regards, A- 3 _

**7\. ****HIDE AND SEEK**

"_Today, a power cut caused a gigantic accident in the center of Tokyo…__ It appears that more than 40 cars hit each other, and at this time the police have still not managed to find some victims. The possibility exists that the missing ones may roam alive and disoriented in the streets. If you see a person in distress, please call the ...044…"_

Turning off the T.V, I poured myself a cup of coffee and went back sitting in front of my empty Caneva.

It's been nearly a month since I stepped In the Helter Skelter for the first time, and exception made of some light incidents, everything was going quite smoothly. Itori and I have become quite close and she started to consider me more like a friend rather than a mere employee. Amon was picking me up about 3 times a week, and I was growing more confident walking alone. Going outside wasn't a problem anymore, and my night terrors had gradually spaced, to become sporadic. The only cloud remaining on the picture at this point, was my lack of inspiration for painting. I had bought bunch of material, all seemingly for waste. It was slowly turning into obsession, the less I was inspired, the more I would buy material, as in a desperate prayer. Amon kept me informed about the Nakano ghoul which have remained uncaught so far, but as no corps was found yet around the bar area, I wasn't really feeling scared. Giving a last look at my empty Caneva for the 100th time that day, I finally stood up and caught my keys. I had to go, or Itori would lecture me for hours. She hated late people, and if she was in a bad mood, you'd better try to be in her good graces. I was really considering giving up on art. At least, at a professional level. My degree could give me access to a bunch of very interesting work, like museum curator assistant or participating in some researches about Japan medieval history, so… Maybe I should stop being stubborn, and face the reality. Which was, a part of me probably died that night and maybe I would never be able to paint nor draw anything ever again. Or maybe it would take years and a long therapy. In the meantime, life was going on and I was feeling like I couldn't just wait for something to happen.

~ When I arrived at the bar, Itori was speaking to a tall man, with a long black coat and very light silver hair. I couldn't hear what was said and I wasn't the type to listen something out of my business, but It was the first time I was seeing Itori looking so serious. They stopped chatting when I came to the locker, and Itori introduced me.

" Tachibana Akane, this is Yomo Renji , she said, one of my best friend, and a really good customer", she added

" I don't know what she is talking about, I don't know that weirdo", said Renji with a straight face, before smiling.

"Don't listen to him, Akane, he's not really sane," Itori said with a grin. Then, back to Renji, "Ren-chan, don't forget your package and send my best regards to Ken okay ? Tell him to come more often, he's a real cutie"

"Haha, sure, said Renji, but If I tell him you said that he'll probably turn red like a tomato and Tôka will come after you"

"Ah, such a jealous beast, your niece"

"As if you were the one who can talk about jealousy", Renji said back, walking towards the kitchen. He came back a minute later, with two huge long bags on his shoulder.

"Wow what have you in that, dead bodies?", I asked Joking, looking at the way he was carrying them like it was nothing. _That guy looks pretty strong. _Both of them were looking at me oddly before Itori laughed in a light tone. "Yes my dear, corpses. What you think is in out homemade meat pie?" This time it was my turn to laugh, and after a good glare from Itori, so did Renji.

"I'm better going, he said, you know Itori same goes for you, you should come to the café more often." And with that, he left with his two bags, letting us prepare the Bar for the coming night. Today we had 2 other meat pie on the menu. A spicy one, and another with home wine marinated meat. It was Saturday and It was gonna be a busy night.

Around 10, the Bar was crumbling under the crowd, and I mean literally...There were people absolutely everywhere Most of them were regulars. I was having a hard time keeping up the pace. At some point It has become difficult to even walk from table to table and deliver the orders without being squeezed between people. I was trying to reach a small table on the right corner of the room, when my eyes landed on Itori's hair. She was talking with someone I was sure I had never seen at the Bar before. I wanted to take a second look but I nearly dropped my tray and all I could see apart from his ponytail, was his neck. A pale, beautiful slender neck with some letters tattooed on it.

**Uta pov**

"So, It's her", I said, looking at the little woman who was climbing on the counter to grab a glass from the upper shelf.

"Yeah It is"

"I've heard about it, but I really had to check this out by my own eyes. Itori, befriending a human, I said ironically, If I hadn't seen it, I'd never have believe it."

"Oh stop the crap, U-chan, I know… It's just… you know I was getting bored and she came here begging for a job. What could I say, I gave her a try, thinking that I'll only have to say she wasn't fitting the job and then, send her away or… eat her, but… she was actually quite good and she's got some guts. I came to like her. And by the way, wearing shades doesn't look like you either."

"Well, we couldn't have your little pet getting frightened now, could we?, I have to admit, … the fact itself you're interest in her, makes me wanna dig some more", I said with an amused grin.

"Oh no you won't dig anything U-chan, don't mess with my human."

"Your human? Aww Itori, that's mean, you should learn to share your toys sometimes. Besides, you should know me after all those years, right? You know It makes me want it even more, now"

"Uta, I'm serious."

"Okay. I'll just let it go. For now." I spotted the girl in the middle of the crowd, wearing a tray and trying her best to find a safe path between slightly drunk people. It was frustrating I really wanted to see her face, but she was always looking somewhere else. I watched Itori walking towards the counter and decided after some seconds to take a look closer. The little brunette was serving some wine at the table on the right, head down. Discretely enough to not get spotted by a busy and overprotective itori, I slipped behind her, inhaling her perfume. And what perfume…. It was intoxicating delicious. No wonder what made all eyes landing on her, I thought, she's a divine meal with a pretty pink ribbon crying for being eaten. But her smell was somehow familiar. After some time wondering, I saw her turning around, and then saw her face. She was gazing at the front of the room, like she was searching for someone, before walking away, called by another table. And then I remembered. The auction. _Now, I think I can understand Itori, what you like about her…_ It was bad though, I had to get outta here before she sees me. I was wearing a mask on that day, but who knows. I went to the counter and gave my glass back to Itori, telling her I was leaving.

"Oh, so soon?"

"I wouldn't you to get angry at me for glancing at her to much"

"Yeah, right, she said back smiling, keep telling you that. Oh I saw Ren before the opening, apparently people keep disappearing around."

"Ghoul?" I asked

"I don't know. but it looks like it. That's bad U-chan. And I'm not only talking about the business, I don't wanna see CCG agents showing up here. We have to take care of it."

"Alright. After your shift ?"

"Yeah"

"Okay see you later, bye"

Wanting to be gone when the brunette would come back to the counter, I walked quickly towards the door, jostling some shoulders on the way and left for my shop."

**Akane pov**

Itori went back to the counter, and I had finally managed to reach that table on the right, when I decided to take a last glimpse towards the mysterious Stranger. I don't know what made me search for him like that, Itori was talking to people every day and I was seeing new faces regularly from the day I started. But something was keeping me wanting to get closer. A familiar feeling of déjà vu, that made me want to see him, to see his face. Like I was attracted to him by a tight invisible rope. But when I rose my eyes once more to the door, He was gone. I kept searching for him a little while, but then was called by another table on the back. I took my tray and started to move, when some akward feeling made it's way through my body. Like a small shiver down my spine. Mentally face-palming me for being such a daydreamer, I resumed my service, trying my best to focus on tasks at hand.

" Good night ladies, welcome to the helter skelter, what can I do for you ?"

"A glass of home wine and Virgin Mojito please"

"coming right away". I wrote the order down on my pocket book, slipped it in my apron pocket and walked towards the counter, when someone jostled me in his way. I turned around, wanting to see what sort of rude person was jostling people without even an apology, when my eyes laid on him. The stranger. He was wearing a side cut as well as shades. _weird in the middle of the night_. I just stood there, my heart beating for a while before turning away once again. _"What's wrong with me ?"_

"Who was the man you ware talking to?" I asked to Itori wile grabbing my purse. It was past 3am when we finally had clean the mess up and I had waited all the night to ask her about that guy.

"Who are you talking about, Aka, I've talked a lot, to bunch of people tonight."

"The side-hair cut guy" with the wonderful neck line, I added mentally.

"Ah, U-chan, well, he's a good friend of mine. Why asking ?, Interested ?", she asked on a teasing tone

"Oh, no, I said a bit too quickly, but what a creep, wearing shades like that in the middle of the night"

"Ha, true, he is a creep in some ways.", She said, smiling.

"Is he a regular?"

"You're asking a lot of questions, for someone who's not interested" she said mockingly, "well, he used to be, yeah but I barely saw him those past months"

"Okay…" I was burning to know more, but not wanting to be teased anymore, I decided to keep my questions for myself.

"D'you want me to carry you home ?" Itori said before parting.

"Are you offering me a ride ?"

"Only if you want to", she said, "I know it's not the day you're boyfriend picks you up and, the ward is a bit dangerous those days.. so…"

"Boyfriend? Oh, Kô isn't my boyfriend", I said, considering Itori's proposition. Knowing from him that the culprit of the Nakano slaughters hadn't been caught yet, I decided to be wise.

"Yeah, I'd like that, thanks"

"No problem." Itori had a small toyota which seemed to be about to crumble down and It made me laugh seeing the interior so messy compared to the clean Bar she was so proud running. Once on our way, we resumed the conversation.

"Do you think it's a ghoul ?" she asked me suddenly

"Kô seems to think so", I answered after a while thinking, but…

"But ?"

"But … I don't know. Mutilated human bodies, all in the same area, and the CCG not here yet? "… It doesn't make any sense to me. And knowing Kô, if there was any real risk for me to be attacked, he would have me driven home every single night by all means. So… as long as I like him and trust him I can't help feeling something's off.", I finally said, noticing I had been thinking out loud. "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to…"

"You sound like a detective, Itori cut, half smiling. Where did you guys meet?" she asked, turning on the right.

"With Kô ? I… don't like to talk about it but… I got attacked by ghouls last year… he was one of the CCG inspectors who heard my testimony"

"You're friend with a CCG ?" Asked Itori clenching her jaw.

"Yeah… well, It's not the only one I know there. They are pretty good people, but…"

"but ?"

"I don't like the way they're treating ghouls."

"What do you mean?", Itori Asked seeming really interested

"Well, the other day when I went visiting the HQ for my weekly self-defense training, one of them was boasting of having killed an entire family."

"…things like that happen all the time", she said squeezing the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white.

"Yeah I know but… How do we know we are doing the right thing. If we do the very same thing we are accusing ghouls to do? And we aren't even eating them. How are we supposed to place ourselves on the right side of the line ? Because in my opinion Ghouls and human… are exactly the same… in a way…I mean there are bunch of really bad humans as well: like pedophiles, rapists, sadists, murderers, cannibals, liars, and greedy piece of shit building their wealth on the back of poor people, destroying earth and their own kind, just for money.

"So… are you saying humans are the bad guys ?"

" No… I'm just saying that if there are good and bad people on human side, it could be exactly the same among ghouls…"

"But Ghouls eat humans", she said making a point.

"And humans eat cows… For ghouls, human are the food, right ?. But For humans, all animals are potential food. It's a matter of food chain. Does it mean we are all bad ? I don't have the answer. And there are so many things we don't know about ghouls, we only knew very little about them and maybe if we stopped slaughtering them arbitrarily on our fears, we could find something out that could be really important. I know how crazy it may sound, especially knowing I was attacked by one of them, I said. I'm just saying, maybe things are more complicated than they seem to be. And maybe we should try looking at things a little deeper, before acting so blindly."

She had listened to me from the start, to the end, and saying she looked shock, would be a huge understatement. We were getting close to my apartment, when she turned the machine off, staring at me intently.

"If You were on the case, If you were working on that Nakano mystery, what would you do?" she asked me seriously.

"I… I don't know, I'm not an inspector…"

"Lets pretend you were."

"Itori why-"

"Just answer, Akane, please."

"Well… If I were a part of the CCG, I'd send some men immediately….Unless…"

"Unless?"

"Unless I were chasing something very specific and bigger"

"What do you mean ?"

"I mean if I knew a specific wanted ghoul was linving in Nakano, I would know he'll try to stay hidden and not to focus any attention, right ?... Well, so let's say a certain ghoul had just decided to turn Nakano into a feast, what would happen ?"

"The other one would have to kill it in order to get the CCG away…", she completed, deep in thoughts, that's pretty clever…

"Well, I don't know, it's just an Idea, I don't know anything anyway."

"Maybe you're right, but… I do know one thing for sure."

"What?", I asked

"Ghouls are damn lucky you're not a part of CCG" said Itori resuming the drive.

Five minutes later, I was home, having a sudden urge… to draw.

Meanwhile, in the car

"Hello, Uta?" Itori asked, phone in left hand, wheel in the right.

"Yeah?"

"Do not move from your shop, I'm coming to you"

"What? ...Why?"

"The attacks might be a trap from the CCG"

"What? who said that?"

"If I told you, you would never believe me"


	8. Chapter 08 The unexpected

**8\. THE UNEXPECTED**

All locks closed, I threw my keys on the counter, and poured myself a glass of thick red wine. It had been a long night and I was physically spent, but my brain was far too awake for me to go to bed just yet. I Stood there for a while eyes closed, Letting the tannic liquid going down my throat. My fingertips itching, I went sitting in front of my blank canvas, and grabbed the charcoal. I had to draw it, otherwise, I knew it would haunt the back of my mind like an old stubborn ghost. In a gentle wrist movement going down from the right to the left, I traced the shape of his neck. Delicately curved like a feather, extended by the clavicle line and ending by the rounded shoulder crossed by the strap of his tank top. Then, I closed my eyes, trying to remember precisely the little bit of his profile from I had stolen a short glimpse. Elegant perky nose, middle size side bang, high cheekbone and snow-white skin shadowed by the shades he wore. And his delicate lips, pierced by a dark ring. _Who are you, Uta?_ I stood in front of my draw for an hour more, lost in thoughts. _Next time, I won't miss a thing. I will draw the entire you._ I smiled. I didn't know what made me crave sketching him so much, but I didn't care. For the first time since that night, I had finally been able to draw something. And that alone, was more than enough for me to be happy.

Next morning, I woke up at 7 at the ringing alarm "hmm shut up, I mumbled, hiding myself under the duvet… just 5 minutes more…." Like every Sunday, I was taking my Self defense class at the CCG HQ at 9 sharp, but unlike usual Sundays, I was a mess craving for sleep. Time had gone by while sketching my mysterious muse the past night, and It was nearly 5 when I finally went to bed. Part of me -huge part of me actually- really wanted to stay in bed for the day, but I also wanted to see everyone. I was now confident enough in my skills for not needing any intensive training anymore, but the team have been like a second family to me this passed year and I was really enjoying the time we were spending together. I hesitated for about 10 minutes more, before finally deciding on going. It was with a kicking and screaming body that I left the comforting warmth of the duvet, and went straight to the shower. If I truly was too tired to train seriously, I could still sit and watch them after an hour, I thought, turning on the tap. Once feeling fresh and ready, I drunk a cup of black coffee and packed my sport bag before leaving the house. It was a sunny bitter-cold February day and the streets were busy. CCG HQ being in the first ward, I had to take the bus n° 9 for Chiyoda, and walk for about 20 minutes.

When I arrived, I was greeted by a quite moody Kô, who was having a hard time taking all juzô's chit chat. I was really liking Juzô. The first time we met, I have to admit I was quite taken aback by his odd appearance, but getting to know him more, I found out he was a really sweet person. I mean, with his albino face, his red self-inflicted stitches and his out loud self-talk, he was really looking like a creep. And I'm not even talking about his pink slippers. But, once you overrode his strange behavior, you could see a true reliable friend in him.

"Morning, Kô, is everything alright?, I asked Amon, smiling, you look pretty tensed."

"Well… you know…, he said, scratching the back of his neck, he can be…"

"as chatty as a parrot?", I completed jokingly. Actually Juzô was sometimes acting like a child, which was awfully cute, but he, like a child, was getting quite talkative for a silence seeker like Kô. But I was okay with it. Going into the line, I smiled at juzô who was standing at my right.

"You look really ugly today", he said, as honest as usual.

"Oh, wow, what a meanie", I said.

"today, we're gonna have a special training", said our instructor of the day Mado Akira. Akira was a 2nd level inspector and the usual partner of Kô. I didn't know her very well, but I knew she had the reputation to be really serious and reliable. Their were a pretty good pair.

"We are going to use some minor weapons, made from the Ghoul's Kakuhô. Do not misunderstand, she added, It's not a Quinque, even if the principle is quite similar. In those minor weapons, The kakuhô was used for its resistance, not its power. So we'll form pairs, and I'll show you what to do with them in case of a front attack.", Akira explained. We made as we were told, Juzô and I going to the left side of the room.

After a warming up exercise, Akira went to give us said weapons and shown me the right movements Juzô was supposed helping me with. She played being the ghoul Attacking him, and he used his weapon to threat a vital point after dodging her strike. Of course it wasn't the first time I was seeing him fighting, but I couldn't help being always astonished by his speed. From his meter sixty, that cutie was hell dangerous. At his young age, he was already a 1st rank inspector And despite his easy going nature with humans, he was said to be merciless with ghouls. Brave, unconscious, even, he was the one going for a desperate fight without any backup to support him. And I knew from all the conversations we had, that he was very skilled with his scythe-like Quinque. After the demonstration with Akira, Juzô helped me to practice the counter attack he made for more than an hour before I could even half match his speed, and I knew he was going easy on me. After 3 hours of intense training, my head was spinning and I decided to call it a day. I went to the shower and joined juzô next to the exit.

"Nice training, ugly" he said, cheering me up with a warm smile.

"thanks Albino", I said back grinning. After a while enjoying the fresh air, I looked at him into the eyes "What's going on in Nakano, juzô?", I asked seriously." What are you waiting for taking that ghoul down? Last time I checked you guys were keen on hunting"

He gave me back my look, dropping his childish demeanor. "You know I can't tell you about internal business, Akane. Because we are friend and you train here, it doesn't mean you are a part of the CCG.", he said calmly.

"I know but… I'm working there at night and I cant help feeling concerned"

"What do you think, Rei, should we tell her, or not. It's against the rules…", he said, self-talking again.

"Please, I begged, I really need to know. You know I don't feel safe since I was attacked last year." Which if not a lie, was a slight exaggeration now.

"…. There's no ghoul in Nakano", he finally said.

"But, the murders?"

"We just put there some remains of victims from several other wards and gathered it there…"

"Why?"

"I won't tell you anything else, Akane I've already said too much and now you know there's nothing to fear."

"Okay… thank you Juzô"

"No problem, he said, but you owe me some candies!", he added, his childish grin back. Kô was already gone back to work and I, needed some rest so I went straight back home. I spent the rest of my day doing small house work, reading and relaxing in the couch. Around 8pm, I got a call from Kô inviting me for a drink to a nearby Bar. Which I declined, not really knowing what to think about his lie about the ghoul. I mean, the fact I was not a part of the CCG was one thing, but Kô trying to scare me off when I just was on my way for healing from a trauma, just for the sake of a CCG trick was something else. And even if I knew Kô was not the one breaking the rules, he could have at least kept that thing for himself and spare me his lies. So part of me was understanding, part of me was pouty ang angry. I said I was too tired and got back sitting in front of my canvas once again. _What's about him that is so familiar?_

It has been 3 weeks since I saw Uta at the Bar and since then, he never stepped in again. Every time I heard the door opening, I turned my head, hoping he would appear from somewhere, but he never came. It was really annoying. I was annoyed because I was stuck with my half sketch, not having any other inspiration, I was annoyed with him not coming, and I was also annoyed with myself for being so eager to see someone I didn't even know. Fed up with my weird obsession, I decided time has come for me to hang out and reconnect with old acquaintances. So one afternoon I called Ran one of my former classmate who I had celebrated my degree with, and invited her for a meal at an old restaurant down the road.

"It's been a while!, Ran said hugging me tight and smiling, I thought you were dead. You weren't even pick up my call last year, I thought I've made something wrong…. "

"Oh.. Ran, if only you knew…I am the sorry one", I said sitting down on one red couch.

"Okay you have to tell me exactly what happened"

"I hope you have some time, It's a pretty long story," I said looking at the menu.

"Go ahead"

I told her all about my kidnapping, the auction, the recovering time, and all that came after that. The only thing I haven't told a word about, was my sudden obsession towards a certain someone, which I put by the way, on my lack of social life. When I finally stop talking, she was looking at me with big fish eyes.

"Oh my god… and I wasn't even here for you, I'm so sorry, I don't even know what to say… you went through a lot, "she said obviously shaken by the whole thing.

"There's nothing to be sorry about, I said, I needed some time that's all. I'm fine now."

"Well… I have an Idea, she said after some seconds deep in thoughts, If you're ready to see some people again, It might be a good think if you could attend to Aki's party Friday night", she suggested.

"I'm working on Fridays", I said, feeling sorry for turning down her invitation.

"Oh come on, pretty please? Ask for a day off, you'll see what your boss says, she insisted pouting, I don't know if there will be lots of other occasion to meet everyone. I had to admit she had a point there.

"Okay, I'll see…"

"NO, no, Akane I know you, when you say that it means you'll probably end up by not coming." Damn was I so obvious? Actually I was embarrassed to ask for a day off so close to the said day.

"Call your boss now, and see what he says", Ran commanded stubbornly.

Not having the choice anymore, I grabbed my phone and composed Itori's number, half hoping she wouldn't pick up the call.

"Hello?"_ shit_

"Hello Itori, It's me, Akane, I… was wondering if you could give me a day off on Friday night, I said forcing a smile towards Ran who was cheering for me with her thumbs up, like an idiot, I'd perfectly understand if you can't, I know I'm asking a bit late but.."

"Of course, cut Itori, actually I was starting to believe you were some hermit, never going out."

"hahaha_, yeah thanks for that, you old rag, _well, are you sure?"

"100%, go have fun", she said, hanging up.

"Well ? what did she said ?"

"She said it was Okay."

"Fantastic, Ran exclaimed, we'll have a good time I swear."

"Do I have to wear something special ?"

"hmmm actually, yes, It's costume party. everyone will be wearing a mask. and some Greek themed clothes"

A mask, wonderful, I thought, remembering the auction.

After ordering 2 rice omelets and 2 large bubble tea, we ate while chit chatting about the good old days, before parting around 3pm, stuffed and happy. Having nothing else to do before taking my shift, I decided on going to the art studio, taking a look at the mask they offered. If I had to wear one of that nightmarish stuff, it would better be a beautiful and well made one. I went only once, but I thought I remembered quite way the path going there. Once Entering the area where It was supposed to be, I kept searching for a little while before I caught the reflection of its sign in the barber's shop glass. Well, let's see if it's as worth the look as It is in my memories.. The shop was making the angle of the 4 ward, the very same Shinjuku I was living in, and was as gloomy as in my memory. A large wooden door was standing before me, just besides a hand painted sign. "HySy ArtMask Studio". A little slate board was listing the services offered by the store, which included among other things, "custom made masks". On the left side, a small showcase was putting some pieces on display. I was about one meter away from said showcase, when I stopped. My heart stopped, my breath died and all my world turned upside down.

On display, just before my eyes was... a beautiful, ...scary, ...golden mask with a half grin.

"_What a fuck ?!"_


	9. Chapter 09 :Secret keepers,Truth seekers

**9\. ****SECRET KEEPERS, TRUTH SEEKERS**

I stood there like an Idiot, mouth opened in an awe, not understanding what I was seeing. This was insane. In front of me, in the shop's show case, my drawing materialized in its every detail, was ogling at me with his half-grinning face. I blinked a couple of time, pinching my arm to make sure I wasn't hallucinating, but I wasn't. No matter how many times I closed my eyes, it was still there when I opened them. I got closer and observed it once more. It had been executed with care and precision. the finishes were splendid. the Artist had used gold stitched silk to cover the sad side of the face, and a thin layer of gold metal to cover the smiling side, making the teeth to look even scarier. the eyes were two large openings in the shape of wavy almonds stretching towards the temples, and behind which he had taken care to put a black cloth to highlight the dark streaks that came from it. Streaks which were made with a kind of molten black metal. I could have never imagined it better. The materials he used fitted perfectly the feeling I had while drawing it. Scary, but lonely. Dangerous and mysterious, provoking conflicted emotions to the one facing it. My creation in its most outstanding beauty, like someone had extracted it from my head, achieving it to utmost perfection. No longer thinking about the upcoming party I originally came for, I pushed the entrance door, confused, amazed, and full of question that I needed to be answered. The shop was really dark. Black walls covered in Masks were surrounding a shiny checkered pattern tile floor, and the whole room was only enlightened by reddish roof lights. Along the walls were spreading long glass showcases, each of them exposing three different Masks. In the middle of the long room, two line of high metal made pedestals were supporting mannequin busts which were wearing other Colorful and twisted Masks. In the middle of the room, stood a counter with a cash register and a small stool. On the floor, The reflected reddish light wasn't without remind me of blood, and by having directed them straight towards the floor, the owner had made a good job making all the ceiling look swallowed by an eternal starless night. My eyes kept going from one Mask to another, mesmerized by their twisted beauty. As no one was at the counter, I decided on taking a closer look to the bottom of the shop that was almost totally in the dark.

"Welcome to the HySy ArtMask Studio, may I help you?", said a young girl, startling me by her sudden appearence behind me. I turned to face her. "Actually yes", I said. The girl was small with dark blue dyed hair and a gentle face. "I love your art, I said, I've never seen something so fascinating"

"hum, actually it's not my art, I'm just the seller for the day. ", she said, shaking her head. "Are you interested in buying one of those?"

"Well, actually I'd like to know who made this one, I answered pointing at my materialized drawing."

"Aw, they are all hand made by the owner"

"Is it for sale?"

"I don't know about this one, the master had to go on an emergency and left quite in a hurry, so I wasn't told in details about the new ones, but I do know that all the one exposed under glass are for sale and those on the walls are already sold, but can be ordered on the catalog", she answered.

"What about those on Mannequins?"

"Aw, those ones are special orders from customers or special creations that can't be ordered from the catalog. Basically, when the Master accept a special order, he produces something very unique that is for one and only person."

"I see…. Do you have any sale register?"

"Of course,"

"Could you check if that gold one is sold, then"

"Yeah… I can, I guess.", she said waking towards the counter before grabbing a thick leather covered register. "I'm sorry it could take a little while"

"Take your time", I said taking a seat on the little stool. After 15 minutes waiting, she went to the showcase and took the Mask before coming back to the register again. "He classes them using their reference number, she explained, so If I can find that one's, I'll be able to tell you." After some seconds looking at it from every possible angle, she frowned. "weird, she said quietly, I can't find any number on this one. Even special orders masks have a number." She scanned the register a second, then a third and last time before finally giving up, saying: "I'm sorry Miss, I can't find any entry about that Gold Mask. I can't tell you if I can sell it. Do you want to take a second look in the room and pick another one ?

"No… I.. I do need a mask but…"

"Listen, the blue head said, The owner will be here tomorrow, you should come back then. He'll be able to tell you"

I thanked her and left, with the firm intention of coming back the next day.

My shift at the Helter went quite smoothly and Itori had decided on closing it earlier so we could both have a part of our night. Amon came picking me up around 11.30, greeting me with a serious face.

"What's wrong?" I asked waving at Itori through the window.

"We should talk", he said in a calm tone "You know I care about you, right?"

"…Yeah, I guess so…" I said, wondering where that conversation was leading to.

"And because I do care of you, I haven't ask too many question on what happened to you before we met, he said searching cautiously for his words, but we somehow made some progress on the case and I have to ask you some question about things that weren't very clear when we heard you for the first time."

I could feel my whole body getting tensed.

"what progress,?" I asked.

"Well, at some point we found out that one of the ghouls scattered besides the car, was Nakamura Akio, one of the deputy Mayor of Nakano.", Amon started to explain.

"You kidding, right? There's no way Ghouls would live among us in the sight of all, without being arrested, right?"

….

"Right?" I asked taken aback by his silence.

"Actually, when they're not in frenzy, they look like human and behave the same way. Basically, we can't go to every apartment without a good reason just to check if people are humans."

"But… that means anyone can also be attacked in the middle of the day! If it really was the case, then why don't informing the population."

"And create a huge panic we wouldn't be able to contain?" Asked Amon, "If people knew, they'd go crazy with fear and it might cause the very chaos we're trying to avoid.", I had to admit he had a point there. "We couldn't identify the other one, he then said, pulling at the wheel while turning on the left. "The guy was a rich pig, with a high position in society, that he had to protect. I can't picture him hunting like a hobo in the streets, especially not in the 4th"

"Why not in the 4th"

"I know for sure it's a well taken territory and even if it became quiet for some years now, We CCG have stopped trying to take it back for a long time. It's a ghoul territory where no one would be welcome hunting"

_I'm living in ghoul territory, I'm living in ghoul territory, I'm living in…, _the words were going round, and around in my head. It had to be a fucking nightmare._ First I learn ghouls can be everywhere around us, __**among**__ us, then I'm said I'm living in ghoul territory ? was it meaning some other part of Tokyo might be literally controlled by ghouls ?_

So, he, kidnapping you like that is quite bizarre. Then, he continued, seeing me deep in thoughts, We investigated on every case that could show similarities to yours, and going through some of CCG archives, we found out that lots of people tended to disappear in the districts around Nakano. being missing for days, before we found them dead, dismembered somewhere, or just never found them at all. At the first look they were all isolated incidents that were discreet enough to be treated like it, but once you take a closer look, you can find some odd similarities that could imply something bigger is behind this" "Get to the point" I asked finally, trying to keep cool.

"I know we are close to the answer. I know all those elements to be related somehow, but I cannot find the missing piece that would connect the whole thing together. And once again, he said looking at me trough the wing mirror, you are the only one who made it out alive." He took a long pause. "for the last time, I'll only ask it once and whatever you tell me, I won't ask ever again... are you sure you were kidnapped by the ghoul Nakamura?" I'd understand if you were scared or confused after the events and your concussion. But now that you seem okay, I'd like to know if you remember something else. Whatever it may be, if there's anything else that you haven't told me yet, I wanna hear it now."

"Kô… I've told you everything I could remember." I said after a hesitation. "What do you think, that I'm plotting with ghouls?"

"No, no of course not, but maybe you had remembered something but are too scared to tell anything…"

"I'm not scared. I just don't remember. But At least I know now, what's going on in Nakano."

"what are you talking about-"

"There's no ghoul, right? You lied to me, you scared the shit out of me, giving me the cold sweat every time I had to go home, but there was no murderous ghoul there, right?" Part of me was feeling a bit guilty to hide my own lie by bringing up his own one, but what choice did I have? "Frustrated by your fucking missing piece, you just tried to provoke a reaction from the ghouls you believe to be hidden there, am I wrong?"

"… I'm sorry."

"You have some guts, accusing me to hide something like I was guilty of some crime, when you purposely kept an information related to my own safety from me." I said, in my most outraged tone. _I should have an Oscar for that one_

"I wasn't saying you were… listen, Kô said, it's just so frustrating to be this close to the answer, only for looking at her slipping away from me. And you know I can't tell you about internal business."

"I know, I said, I know you must have pretty good reasons… I Shouldn't have yelled on you like that, I'm sorry." Well, I was sorry, but not for yelling. The poor guy did seem all contrite. _I'm going straight to hell._ "Look, I promise to try remembering again, okay? If it can make you feel better, I'll give it a try." I finally said, managing me an exit door in case of wanting to spit the truth out.

"Thanks", he said taking my hand into his. We were arrived at my building. He stopped the engine and looked at me into the eyes: You know I wouldn't have let you alone if there was any risk of…"

"I know", I cut, smiling.

"I really care about you, I just want you to know you can trust me for protecting you in any case."

"Thank you", I said opening the door. He was still holding my hand.

"Good nig- I was about to leave when he pulled me towards him, enclosing his lips onto mine. It was just a slight peck, warm and gentle but the whole thing shacked me from head to toes. He then broke the kiss and let go my hand for me to get out of the car, speechless.

"Good night Akane" He said turning on the engine again. I stood there for a while, trying to process what just happened, before going home, lost in thoughts. _That day is fucking insane._

_**Amon pov :**_

Part of me was hating myself for this. I was attracted by her, she was a strong, beautiful and very gentle woman, but I had to admit that kiss was more of a strategy than a verge of passion. I still wasn't convinced she was telling the truth, there were too much mismatching pieces for that story to be truly consistent. I really wanted her to trust me more and if direct confrontation wasn't leading anywhere, I had to try it the soft way. Maybe when she'll feel closer to me, She'll tell me. And If she then keeps telling she doesn't remember anything, either I'll give up or I'll arrest her. That idea was the worst. I very knew she'll hate me if I did that. But she knew me… I'm not the one breaking the rules. And I'm taking my job really seriously. Human lives were on balance and I couldn't let Ghouls win the game just because I wasn't brave enough to do what needed to be done.

**Uta pov.**

It was around 6, when I came back from my visit to the Anteiku café. Tôka was sitting on the stool, reading another book that I presumed to be lent by Ken.

"Yo, Uta"

"Uss. Thanks for keeping the house. Any customer visit?, any order?..."

"Just one, a woman, answered Tôka, she was really interested on the gold mask you had put on display and she asked me if she could buy it. So I went through the selling register, but impossible to find any entry about that Mask. Not even the usual engraved reference number. So basically, I said i couldn't sell it, and if she really wanted that mask, she could always come to you by tomorrow."

"Well, that Mask isn't for sale. she'll come back for nothing.", I said tiredly.

"Ah, I forgot, said Tôka, she was human"

"A human ?"

"Yeah, and a pretty one with that", she added, grinning.

"hoo", well, I'll see that tomorrow then.

After Tôka left, I took the mask from the wall where she had put it. When I saw the piece of paper that girl had left in my hand, I didn't know if she had done it deliberately, or if it was a mere accident, but When I opened it and saw that drawing she made, I knew I'd want to craft that Mask. He was so twisted, so wicked and yet, so contrasted. I immediately had the picture on my mind, already knowing all the materials I'll be using. I then started to find that Idiot pretty interesting. Destiny was sure a little trickster, putting her on my way once again. In Iitori's bar, at that. I'd never have expected that. Since I knew her, Itori was an Eater, attracting men and hunting them down like mere deer. She hated humans, despised them. So for her to befriending one, she must have been an interesting one. I was remembering that evening quite well.

I had got a call from Itori after her shift, telling we should abort our plan. She came straight to my shop and told me about her human friend's Idea on the matter. The CCG might be searching for something very specific around Nakano. I was agreeing with Itori on saying It was a clever move. She then told me more about Akane, about the fact that she was getting along well with CCG members, which by the way, made me wonder if she had told them about my auction, and if it was the clowns that the CCG was searching for. She then told me what Akane said she was feeling towards ghouls. And the more I was hearing about her, the more I wanted to know her more. At some point I was wondering If I could tell Itori the whole story, before the doves may showing up there. If I should confess Akane was part of the auction that Itori couldn't attend to... but if so, I'd also have to explain why she was still alive when piggy Nakamura was found slaughtered. I, leader of the clowns, the cruel, the sadist, the merciless "no face", had murdered the buyer of the human, and he saved her life, risking compromising the whole underground organization. Certainly, I was known for my very little respect of life, ghouls or human all together, but doing something like that, was odd even for me.

So I've decided to keep it for me, at least until I could learn what exactly was knowing the CCG.


	10. Author note before 10th

Hi everybody, thanks for reading me, I hope you still find it interesting. :) I'll post the 10th chapter today, and I'll then make a little break, because I'm going on vacation in Greece for about 10 days. It will also be the time for me to think about the next chapters. In the meantime, I would like to invite you reviewing what you liked and disliked about my story so far, for I can offer you better chapters in the future.

Love you guys, best regards. A-

Ps: In the upcoming chapter : Akane will finally be face to face with Uta.


	11. Chapter 10 : Face to -no- Face

**10.****FACE TO -****NO****\- FACE**

**Akane pov**

_I'm a monster_. I went to bed with feeling awful after Amon kissed me. I mean, the kiss was cute… good, even. But I was really feeling like shit for keeping lying to him after that. Obviously, he had true feelings for me, and all he wanted was me to help solving that case. I didn't even know why I was still keeping the whole thing secret anymore. Maybe I wish I could erase that Nightmarish night from my memory. Maybe I was afraid he would hate me for keeping it hidden for so long. Maybe… I was just being stupid. Truth is, part of me wanted to understand some things before explaining the events to the Inspectors. Things like : how come I was still alive ; who was the ghoul who sold me? Was it only my captor and his accomplice? Or was it something bigger like Amon was suspecting it to be? So many questions… and that Mask suddenly popping out from nowhere. I knew I've talked about that shop to my captor before I was sold. And I also had lost my drawing somewhere between the moment I was pulled out of my cage, and the moment they had me sit in the car. I mentally review the moment I've tried to hold on my captor's hand. A stupid and desperate action, by the way, that I still couldn't explain to myself. Anyway, lots of answer might be between the hands of the Artist who made the mask I drawn and that's why I had to go back there today. I had a good pretext anyway; the party night was about to come, and I really needed a Mask. I checked myself in the mirror and brushed my teeth. I never found myself particularly pretty, but I wasn't bad either. My long dark brown hair was a pain in the ass to take care of though. Wet, they would even reach below my groin and it was taking at least 10 min brushing, before I could call them "fine". But despite of that, I never could bring myself cutting them. I had no real physical complex, exception made of a little reddish birth mark looking like a small crescent moon located just under my right eye. I wasn't wearing makeup every day but was always taking care of covering that. My mother used to do the same. She said children are meanies with those who are different, and she'd always hide that little stain using liquid foundation and face powder. I basically kept the habit. I remember I forgot once, and all people I was talking to, kept staring at it to an extend I was feeling uneasy.

I decided on wearing dark eye-shadow which would highlighten my big blue-grey eyes and applied some lip balm. After I slipped in a dark denim and a long sleeves white fluffy wool sweater, I was ready to go. _"Okay, I can do this. All I must do, is being lovely, sweet and ask politely for my answers. I'm gonna do fine….no_, I mentally corrected, _I will do great!"_ After a last look in the mirror, I grabbed my purse and left my apartment, going straight to the Mask Shop.

Pushing the door of the shop once again, I could feel a slight change into the atmosphere. The dark ceiling was looking more threatening than in my memories, and the Mask also seemed to be … Alive. It was like they were staring at me, following my every move as I walked down the alley of the pedestals, to the counter. It was spooky. I couldn't help the goosebumps forming on my skin and I was feeling uneasy. I'd swore being observed. After 10 minutes waiting, I started wondering if it was truly open, or if someone had just forgotten turning the sign "closed".

"Hello? Is someone here? I… would like to buy a mask…." I said my voice fading. I was about to go, when my eyes landed on a mannequin covered by a white sheet, on the last pedestal. _That wasn't there yesterday._

After looking around to make sure I was alone, I let my curiosity taking the best of me, and got closer to the mysterious ghostlike figure. I really wanted to know what was behind it. I know it was wrong but… I really wanted to know what kind of breath-taking piece would have been worth covering. And after all, I've been a good girl waiting for so long without even being greeted by the owner, right? He would certainly forgive me for taking a little glimpse of his new art piece…. I grabbed a corner of the sheet and, ever so slowly, began to pull it down. The silky material was slipping, making an elegant sound covered by my loud heartbeat. I was about to see it. Only a few centimeters left and…

"Boo"

I nearly had a heart attack. Startled, I lost balance and fell, yelling, and landing on my butt, out of breath with a hammering heart. On the pedestal, wasn't a mannequin, but an entire human being, casually crouched and now looking at me intently. After some seconds, He eventually came down, offering me his hand. I would have recognized him right away, if he had been wearing his shades… But now, all I could see, was his big, dark, bloody, and mesmerizing eyes. Uta? I wondered after some seconds. Uta, was offering me his hand, waiting for me to take it and he can help me stand up. But I couldn't move. I couldn't look away from those eyes. The abyssal darkness of his sclera was like a moonless night sky where even the stars had vanished from, swallowed by the bloody supernova of his iris. I had heard about tattooed sclera before. some people would insert a certain pattern inside, like a small heart or something. but that, was really something else.

"Are you intending on sitting on the ground the whole day?", He asked, still waiting.

pulled out of my daydream by the low, calm tone of his voice, I realized how much of a weirdo I must look like. I shook my head and grabbed his hand, still staring at him. I didn't budge when he out passed me, walking casually to the counter, and it took me a few more seconds to follow him without a word.

"So, what can I do for you?", he asked.

"I... actually I was wondering about a certain Mask you had on display yesterday."

"Ah, you must be the one Tôka told me about. The gold one, right?"

"Yes, she had searched through the selling register but couldn't tell me if it was sold or not"

" Actually, it is pretty much so. A customer ordered for it but hasn't paid yet. Anyway, It's not for sale."

"Someone ordered it? After seeing on display?"

"No, It was a special order. He came with a sketch of what he wanted, asking for it to be its exact copy.

"So... It wasn't your creation?"

"No, I'm afraid it's not. Usually I don't accept that sort of request. I'm quite passionate and proud of my art, so I insist on being free to create. But I had to admit, I liked what he came with."

_He liked my drawing, he liked my drawing... oh dear calm down, and focus on the goal! _

"I love the way you made it. The raw material you used, the way you used it to enhance every part and every feeling it was meant to generate. It's ... breath-taking." _Okay, now you sound hysterical. Well done._

" You seem pretty passionate about it" he just said, side bowing his head.

"May I ask who was the one who ordered it?"

"No"

"But, please, I'd really like to meet him. Maybe I can convince him to sell it to me." _Oh, yeah that's a good pretext, keep going, keep going_, cheered my internal voice.

"I do not know his name. That's why he's not on the register. And even if I knew it, I wouldn't tell you because I'm very serious about my customer's privacy." he said, looking absentmindedly on the register.

"Privacy? What, are you telling me that you craft Masks for some underground drug lord or something? I said jokingly, couldn't you make an exception? just for once? _And here you go, puppy eyes._

"Well, I don't ask any question about my client's businesses. People may want mask for different reasons. Anyway, it's a No. You seem pretty obsessed by it, what if you were dangerous? I can't communicate my client's identity, to anyone just because they'd ask for it, can I?"

"But I'm really interested in that mask..."

"Why ?" He asked, looking straight in my eyes again.

"Why...what?"

"Why are you so interested on that mask"

"Because... it's beautiful"

"Yes, you said that, but I've got a lot of beautiful pieces here that are even better than this one. So, I'm asking again... why?" He asked in a low, composed tone voice, leaving the counter for coming towards me. The more he was getting closer, the more I was stepping back, until my back touched the glass showcase. I was trapped, and he was keeping going. eventually, he was so close, that I could feel his breath on my face.

"Why?" He repeated, leaning forward. At this point my heart was a pounding mess, and my brain was turning into marshmallow. He was so close... I noticed he had not only his lips, but also his eyebrow, and his ears pierced. All, dark metal made. I could see dark ink tattoos poking out his tank-top, and spreading on his arms, and hands. His neck was tattooed also. A sentence, with ancient-Greek letters, that I couldn't focus enough to even try understanding its meaning. My eyes were going from his neck to his eyes, to his lips. Then again from his lips to his eyes... his lips... his delicate lips...

"Why" He said, pressing his body against mine.

"Because I am the one who drawn It" I confessed, in a weak voice, closing my eyes, my body all tensed at the feeling of his strong chest pressed onto mine.

About 4 seconds later, as nothing happened, I opened one eye, only to see his arms reaching for something above. The gold mask was now in his hand, and his hand, likewise his body, were making their way back to the counter.

_What? Were you expecting he would kiss you, Idiot? _

"So, Basically, you're saying that You drew that, but can't remember who for?" He asked ironically.

"Yes, I mean No!... Well, actually, I… lost the drawing", I said, well knowing that without any proof I would be taken for a fool.

"So… if you lost it, then it means that it's no longer yours, right?"

"… I guess not, but.."

"Every piece I make Is unique and I never do any copies… but, as this one is not entirely MY art, I think I can do an exception for you, and make another one. But with slight changes, of course."

"Well, I said, not really wanting to buy it, if not the original I'd better not buying It at all…,"

"Oh, so… you don't need a mask then?"

"No, uh, I mean, Yes I do need one, but not a copy of that one…" _wow congratulation, now you __**really**__ look an idiot._

He kept looking at me Intently, like he was trying hard to solve some mystery, and I was feeling…naked under his gaze.

"Come with me," he said, pointing the stool where he wanted me to sit. Slowly I did how I was told and waited.

"What is the mask for?" He asked

"A party", I said.

"What kind of party?"

"Old friends gathering…"

"I see…any theme I should respect?"

"Actually, yes… I need something Greek"

anytime he was talking, the dark ring piercing his bottom lip moved. His face seemed expressionless, an unreadable poker-face. I somehow knew he could have worn any face, showing any emotion, but at the same time, He was so unique in his style and stolid that the contrast was intriguing.

"Do you have any ideas about the colors you want, or the global shape? Any Greek god you'd like me to symbolize?"

"I don't know…"

"Then would you rather me create something original"

"Please… I'd love wearing your art" Wow… that was cheesy, girl. Shut up.

"You can't stop looking at my eyes… , he pointed out."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't meant to stare… It's just so…"

"Scary, right? I know, people are often frightened by them, that's why I'm usually wearing shades. Would you be more comfortable If I put them on?"

"No!" I had said that a little too loudly…" I mean, no please, don't. I'm sorry I was being impolite. I'm not uncomfortable with it. And yes, they are scary… in a way, I guess but… Actually, I was about to say they are beautiful. Like _you_ your masks."

"hoo ?" he just said raising an eyebrow. "Well, I have to take your measures." He then came behind me and pulled my head towards his belly where he let it rest, hi hands resting along my jaw line. It was even weirder to see him upside down. He had soft hands. And I did love his scent. A mix between Santhal wood, iron, and paint solvent… intoxicating, and again… familiar. So not only his face, but also his deep voice and now even his scent, were giving me that annoying "I know him" feeling.

"Excuse me, I said while he was taking a measurement tape from the first drower. Do I know you…from somewhere? I have this feeling we met before…"

"Are you hitting on me? People always say that sort of things when they do…"

"Oh, No! I exclaimed, realizing just how cliché that may have sound.

"Joking", he just said, seeing me turn tomato-red. "You are Itori's new waitress, right?""

"Yeah, my name is Akane"

"I know. Itori told me about you. She said you were horrible"

"What?"

"Joking."

I sighted, relieved.

"I came a couple of time, It's certainly from there you have this impression", he explained.

"I know, I recognized you. Uta, right? Itori told me a little about you too, but she hasn't told anything about your shop … And…actually, I already had that feeling back then, in the Bar so, I'm sorry for asking again but… are you sure we have never met before?"

"Well, I don't know, but don't you think you could have remembered my eyes if so?"

"Yeah… obviously… I'm sorry forget it."

"When do you need it for?" he asked seriously, back to business.

"Friday Night"

"That's a short delay, he said"

"I know… I'm sorry, will it be expensive?"

"Well, how much do you think my art to be worth of?"

"… okay expensive…"

He smiled. "Well, don't worry if you can't pay it, you can still give me your body… I'd love eating you He said, poker-face again, his hands wandering on my neck. My heart was hammering again. I was on a rollercoaster. As soon as I thought being able to relax, he managed to make me lose it again. I was a puppet, and he was the puppeteer. He would move a string, and I would dance. I hated it… _you mean, you like it, don't you_?, I HATED IT. _yeah, keep telling you that_. The worst of all, is that instead of being outraged and yelling at him, a little part of my twisted self, had somehow considered the possibility. Probably the same lewd part that was remembering the touch of his firm chest…

"Jocking", he said…."you look… frustrated now, did I say something wrong ? Was it because I suggested you to pay with your body, or because It was a joke?"

"I…. can we finish this up?" I said, wanting to rip his eyes off for making all flustered.

"It's done.", He said, letting me stand up. "Come back Friday afternoon, I'll set it ready."

"Okay… thank you."

And with that, I left the shop.


	12. Chapter 11 : We need to talk

Hey guys ! Back from vacation, with new chapters as promised. For those who read the 10th ten days ago, I made a reminder from Uta's pov before resuming the story. I'll also publish the 2 next ones, for you to not be bored because I know you want some progress. Don't worry I know where it's leading, but I need to build it nicely :)

With all my gratitude, and best regards.

A-

**11\. ****WE NEED TO TALK**

**Uta pov.**

I saw her coming, through the show-case glass, and I wondered what kind of destiny twist had brought her to my den. Then I remembered Tôka telling me someone asked about the Gold Mask, and I smiled. Of course, It was her. Something about her was off. And If you ask me about the reason I saved her, I'd probably say it was out of boredom. Yes I do love people die in despair, and Yes, it's even better to be the cause of said-despair. But auctions have turned to be quite similar those past months, and humans are boring.

If anything, she got me intrigued. So I guess that when the pig bought her, I got slightly frustrated. Well… maybe even more after I saw her drawing. I have t admit she surprised me. I didn't know if she had given it to me on purpose, and if so, why the hell did she do that? I've sawn lots of desperate people, and lots of reactions before imminent death. But that was a first. And amongst all the things she could have made, crappy farewell letter; portrait of family, hidden message for the police… she decided on a mask. Again, the coincidence was intriguing. In the end, I eventually found out that It would be more fun to let her live on the moment. Not to mention it was annoying to imagine piggy Nakamura getting all the pleasure from her cries. So, I got a rid of the little fucker, hoping no one would find out. And now, here we were after more than a year, destiny or coincidence pushing his magic to my door, making our path cross once again.

I saw her entering, making her way through the shop until the counter, and waiting for someone to greet her. Little did she know I was hiding there. Her reaction was hilarious.

I was expecting her to run away. But she didn't. She just stood there, butt on the floor, staring at my eyes in an awe. Fear? Or was it rather fascination?

"Are you intending on sitting on the ground the whole day?", I asked, waiting for her to take my hand.

After she managed to pull her shit together and let me help her stand, I walked casually to the counter, having her following me at a slow pace.

"So, what can I do for you?", I asked. As if I didn't know.

"I... actually I was wondering about a certain Mask you had on display yesterday."

"Ah, you must be the one Tôka told me about. The gold one, right?"

"Yes, she had searched through the selling register but couldn't tell me if it was sold or not"

" Actually, it is pretty much so. A customer ordered for it but hasn't paid yet. Anyway, It's not for sale."

"Someone ordered it? After seeing on display?" She asked, fidgeting nervously.

"No, It was a special order, I said, He came with a sketch of what he wanted, asking for it to be its exact copy.

"So... It wasn't your creation?"

"No, I'm afraid it's not. Usually I don't accept that sort of request. I'm quite passionate and proud of my art, so I insist on being free to create. But I had to admit, I liked what he came with."

I looked at her face while she seemed in deep thoughts. _I wonder how her eyes taste like. It's been a while since I had a proper meal._

"I love the way you made it. The raw material you used, the way you used it to enhance every part and every feeling it was meant to generate. It's ... breath-taking." She said in one gulp. _So she like what I made of it… Interesting. _

" You seem pretty passionate about it" I just said, looking at her.

"May I ask who was the one who ordered it?" _Oh no you won't go this way._

"No"

"But, please, I'd really like to meet him. Maybe I can convince him to sell it to me."

I Was wondering why she needed the information. Was it out of curiosity, or was she trying to give some material to the CCG? If I had known she would befriend those dogs I'd probably let her die then. But, now I didn't know what she had told them about and killing her may generate more complication that it would solve. _I have to find a way to know what she told to them. _

"I do not know his name. That's why he's not on the register. And even if I knew it, I wouldn't tell you because I'm very serious about my customer's privacy." I said casually.

"Privacy? What, are you telling me that you craft Masks for some underground drug lord or something?, couldn't you make an exception? just for once?" _Little do you know_

"Well, I don't ask any question about my client's businesses. People may want mask for different reasons. Anyway, it's a No. You seem pretty obsessed by it, what if you were dangerous? I can't communicate my client's identity, to anyone just because they'd ask for it now, can I?" _I wanted to push her telling me the reason … maybe if she's desperate enough she'll tell me the story…_

"But I'm really interested in that mask..."

"Why ?" I insisted, looking straight in her blue-greyish eyes.

"Why...what?"

"Why are you so interested on that mask" I could hear her heart beat getting faster, and her breath quicken. Her neck was slightly red and her carotid was pulsing.

"Because... it's beautiful" she said in a weak voice.

"Yes, you said that already, but I've got a lot of beautiful pieces here that are even better than this one. So, I'm asking again... why?" I asked once again in a low, leaving the counter for coming towards her. I kept moving forward, forcing her back to the wall, cutting any retreat. She couldn't stop looking at my eyes. Her heart was about to explode, and I loved it. I could peel her skin off, like a pear, tear those eyes off their sockets and gulp them … pulling her guts out of her stomach while she would beg me to kill her… beg me to eat her… It would be so fucking exciting right now…

"Why?" I repeated, leaning forward, looking at her intently, "Why" Her body was warm against mine, she was shaking, staring at my face. _Oh my…_ I internally smiled, things were keeping getting funnier. I was so close that I could drown into her scent. And what a scent… that girl was not afraid… If my nose wasn't playing any tricks on me, she was… aroused.

"Because I am the one who drawn It" She finally breathed out, closing her eyes, rosy cheeks and loud heartbeat. I will certainly have a great time teasing her, I thought. I finally took the mask from the wall, making my way back to the counter and putting it away from her gaze. I had to push it a little further.

"So, Basically, you're saying that You drew that, but can't remember who for?" I asked ironically.

"Yes, I mean No!... Well, actually, I… lost the drawing", She said, unconfident.

"So… if you lost it, then it means that it's no longer yours, right?" _Let's see what you have to tell to my proposition_

"… I guess not, but…"

"Every piece I make Is unique and I never do any copies… but, as this one is not entirely MY art, I think I can do an exception for you, and make another one. But with slight changes, of course." I said, knowing that if she really wanted It for another purpose, she'd be forced to tell me.

"Well, if not the original I'd better not buying It at all…,"

"Oh, so… you don't need a mask then?"

"No, uh, I mean, Yes I do need one, but not a copy of that one…"

I kept looking at her for a while, trying to guess what was going on in her mind. Anyway she wasn't about telling me anything more just yet, so I decided on letting her be more… comfortable and got back to our professional matter.

"Come with me," I said pointing the stool. "What is the mask for?"

"A party", She said._ Of course it was a party…Humans…._

I teased her a couple of time while taking her measure, asking more details about her expectations. With all the time she spent looking at me, I got to learn at least one thing: exception made of a Déjà vu impression, she hasn't recognized me. And even if I didn't know what the CCG was knowing about, It wouldn't make any sense to send her to me instead of coming themselves if they were suspicious. Knowing she'll have to be back for her order anyway, I decided on waiting a little longer before making my move.

"It's done.", I said, letting her stand up. "Come back Friday afternoon, I'll set it ready."

"Okay… thank you." She said, leaving. And oddly enough, I felt like she took something from the atmosphere while going. Some 30 minutes later, Renji came by, walking slowly through the room with his usual neutral expression.

"When are you going to tell me about that?" He asked bluntly.

"About what?" I asked back playing innocent.

"Cut the crap, Uta. Do you think I'm stupid? Or maybe blind? You know just like me who that girl is. I had a hard time not swallowing my own tongue when I met her at the Helter", he said leaning on the counter.

"What if so?"

"Was it you?"

"Me what?"

"Really want me to say it? Was it you who killed Piggy and his guy that night?"

"… I don't know what you are talking about"

"Yes you do know. No needa tell you what sort of consequences would occur if the clowns find out."

"Well, they won't find out anything because there's nothing to find."

"Keep telling you that…Itori would freak out, you know that ? And, not to mention the girl has good connection to CCG. You screwed up, man"

"Mind your own business, Ren."

"Uta… We've known each other for years now. first as Rivals, then as Friends, and you and Itori are like my family. I know you. And because I do, I know very well you haven't saved her for god's blessing, did you?"

"What if I did?"

"You didn't. It's just not possible."

"some months before, I'd have say Itori befriending a human was not my idea of something possible either but…"

"Yeah, Itori is one thing. She hates humans. But she still can **feel**"

"Ouh that hurts"

"No, it doesn't. For it to hurt, you need a god damn heart. And you Uta, have lots of things, but certainly not a heart. You are twisted, Sadist and merciless. Itori and I have known your true nature for a while now. You are my friend, but I am concerned as well. If I found out she'd told about us to CCG, I'll kill her whether she's your toy or not. I won't risk the clowns head on your personal little entertainment."

"Kill whoever the hell you want, Ren, it's not my problem." I said, annoyed that he was right. I knew I had screwed up. But part of me was excited… When was the last time the CCG had really put up a fight? This was fun. After all, the only reason I was liking the clowns, was that apart from my art, they were the only thing providing me a cure to my eternal boredom. But maybe the CCG could do it just as well. If It wasn't for Renji or Itori, I'd probably don't give a shit about all of them. And anyway, I was hungry. Something about that girl was making me…very hungry.

**Akane pov **

I grabbed the last glass and put it on my tray, making my way back to the counter.

"Is there something bothering you?" Asked Itori drying-up another basket of glass. "You were daydreaming a lot tonight"

"It's okay… don't worry."

"Come on, talk to me. We are friends now, maybe I can help you out"

I watched her washing-up the las glass, and put the stools on top of the counter, before taking a seat in front of her.

"have you ever lie to a friend?"

"Well…I guess it happened a couple of times", she answered, "why?"

"… I am a liar. And I don't feel good about it… at all."

"What's the reason you're lying for?"

"That's the point… I don't even know why…"

"Okay… if you really want my help, you'll have to tell me more about it"

"… I'm tired to keep it for myself anyway. But… you have to promise you won't tell anyone, no matter what, okay?"

"Promised.", she said looking at me seriously.

"You remember when I mentioned being attacked by a ghoul?" I started to tell her the whole story. And I mean, the whole story. How I was kidnapped, sold, potentially saved, and how Amon was pressing me to help him with the case. I told I was right about the CCG trick, and also the fact that my testimony could potentially help to solve everything. She was looking at me the whole time, letting me taking some breath, never interrupting me. And I realized how heavy had been that burden on my shoulders.

"Do you think the Nakano fake was linked to it?"

"I don't know… maybe they are trying to force my captors to make a move without knowing who they are. Maybe that's why Kô needs me so desperately to tell him what happened."

"They have suspicions, but no real proof nor information…." She said, deep in thoughts. " If they knew anything for real, they'd be all around here"

"Yeah…"

"But, I don't get it…if lying was making you so uncomfortable, … why don't just telling the truth? she asked after a while, are you afraid someone could come after you? The ghoul?"

"I… maybe it was like that, last year… I didn't wanna be a part of this… investigation, researches, whatever…, I said, but after some time I realized there was something else. I mean… of course I'm afraid of what Kô may think of me but… You also know I don't fully trust the CCG. You know what I think about their methods. And… no matter how I look at it, the fact is I'm still alive! The only human on the scene, is still alive. I can't explain that to myself, let alone explaining to the CCG. But oddly enough I feel like… someone saved me. I know It could be cannibalism, or rivalry… but what sort of ghoul would leave without a snack, right? … It doesn't make any sense… and according to the CCG, whoever made that slaughter, can only be a ghoul, I explained. On the other hand, I trust Kô, I trust the man he is, and maybe he'd understand me, and he'd try to figure out what happened without… turning it into a bloody bath." I sighed, I was so lost.

"So.. are you telling me you're trying to cover things up for your mysterious savior?"

"I DON'T FUCKING KNOW.", I said loudly. I was so tired. "That guy who talked to me…"

"you mean the ghoul who you heard eating someone's hand? What don't tell me you think HE is the guy who saved you?"

"…Something about him was… I don't know… familiar? comforting? Like we were… alike"

"…comforting, familiar? Okay, now we have a Stockholm syndrome. Listen. I know for sure, he doesn't seem to be the type who save anyone. And the CCG ALWAYS turn everything in a blood bath. And this has nothing to do with your friend, it's just what it is."

"…Okay I shouldn't have told you about that. Forget it, okay? just promise you won't tell anything about it…"

"Hey… I didn't mean to yell okay? … Maybe I know how to help you" She said nibbling at a strand of hair.

"…how"

"That guy… Kô, is your friend, right?"

"I don't know what we are…" I sighed.

"What do you mean? "

"He kissed me the other night…"

"Well, that's a good point", she said

"Why so? I even feel more horrible now"

"It means that he cares about you. And if he has feelings for you, it also means that he wants to believe in what you say, right?"

"I guess so, but… isn't that taking advantage of his feelings?"

"So, listen to me. You're gonna tell him what happened."

"But…"

"Hush let me finish. Who tells you've gonna tell the whole story? Tell him you've been tied up in the dark, you heard someone yelling, tell him everything but not a word about the guy you talked directly to and not a word about the auction. Tell that you've been thrown in the car after some time, and that's it."

"Will he really buy that?" I knew Amon was not stupid…

"Well, he'll need something to nibble on anyway. And If you play your cards well, he won't ask too many questions. I know it's still a lie, but it's better than nothing, right?"

"Yeah… thank you"_ But would that really make me feel better? _

I had questions… and If I didn't trust the CCG, maybe I could trust him. He's a man of integrity. Maybe he could help me out…, I Thought, not entirely convinced a manipulation could make me feel any better or solve anything.

"You're welcome, she said. Now, Is it everything you had in mind? Because judging by the way you were smiling like an idiot when you came in, I could tell something good happened in your life, right? Is it about that inspector's kiss?" She asked giggling and mimicking a tongue kiss.

"Oh, Itori! I exclaimed, laughing and blushing."

"Oh, I was right, someone fell in love!"

"No, It's… not that. Not at all…"

"I don't believe you." She said in a sing song voice.

"whatever… by the way you never told me Uta was running a mask shop"

"hmm Avoiding the subject, aren't you? … she laughed at my frown. Well, you never asked. How you know about it ?"

"Well, I've seen that friend of mine who invited me on a party… It's a costume party so basically, I have to wear a Mask and I saw Uta's shop once a couple of years ago so… I dropped in. I was just surprised to meet him there."

"You dropped in? In his creepy den?"

"It's not that…creepy. I love his Art…"

"Wow… That's unexpected for a hu-… Hum a girl who looks so cute"

"Don't you like it ?"

" I do like it…"

"He frightened me… he was hiding under a sheet..."

"Oh my god he played that old trick again, I told him thousand times it was ridiculous."

"Well… It worked haha… I didn't even recognize him on the moment, without his shades on…"

"Wait… He wasn't we… -of course he wasn't-… let me guess… you ran out of the shop?"

"No… I have to admit I was first taken aback but… His eyes are… beautiful", I then realized I said that out loud.

"Oh my god… Akane…"

"WHAT?" I said blushing

"You **weren't** avoiding the subject, were you?" She said with big worried eyes.

"what?"

"You… have a crush on U-chan, right?"

"No, I've not", I said, standing up and grabbing my purse. "This is ridiculous, I'm not a weirdo, okay? I just love his Art" _and his eyes…and his lips… and his body…_

"Okay, Okay, I was just kidding, relax."

"I know… I'm sorry. I gotta go, Kô should be there in a moment."

"Okay. See ya tomorrow, then. And good luck with Kô"

"yeah…" I walked my way through the door. "hey Itori,…Thank you"

"for what?"

"Hearing me out…"

"No probs."

I saw Amon's car at the end of the Road and felt my heart tighten. "I can do this, I can do this" I was not ready, but Itori was right… He wanted something to nibble on, and I was running out of time. I opened the door, sitting down on the siege calmly.

"How was your day?", Amon asked smiling.

"…We need to talk."


	13. Chapter 12 In trouble

12.**IN TROUBLES**

**Akane pov**

BIP, BIP, BIP, BIP,

I woke up to the alarm the next morning, yawning and grumpy. Feeling like sleeping a bit more, I stirred up my arms and wrapped myself under the duvet. I was about to go back to dreamland again, when a huge noise echoed from the kitchen. Startled, I grabbed the bedside lamp and maid my way through the short corridor which was separating my bedroom from the kitchen, praying no one had broke through the window… reaching the door frame, I slowly and quietly leaned in the wall, taking a deep breath. _Okay, if it's a burglar, you are trained, you got this…_ After 10 other seconds trying to convince myself I was not gonna die, I took a peek, ready to barge in. I saw a hand taking up what looked like a frypan from the floor, before hearing some cupboard door getting shut. _Okay, unless burglars are making breakfast as an apology for stealing, It cant be a robber. Okay, at 3. 1…2…3! I barged in, _rising my lamp above my head ready to throw it at the intruder, when my eyes landed on…Amon?

"Kô?" I said, flabbergasted, my hand still in the air. He slowly turned around, bursting out laugh.

"You know the training is on Sunday, right?"

"what-"

"So, unless you intend to attack me with that…weapon, he said ironically, pointing at my lamp, I suggest you putting that down and sit comfortably while I make you breakfast. I'm sorry I woke you up"

Still looking at him, I put the lamp on the counter top and went sitting down on one of the stool. What is Amon doing here? _What the fuck happened last night? _Did we..? I looked at my body. Ah… I was still dressed… _okay so why is Amon half naked? _

"Euh…Kô?"

"Yes?"

"did… something happen last night?"

"Do you mean… you don't remember?"

"…uh…"

"you were awesome. You trusted me enough to unfold yourself… and-"

"Oh my god. We… I… holly crap" _I slept with him and I can't remember shit._

"What? Are you regretting it?"

"I don't… I'm sorry I don't remember any of it"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't remember sleeping with you…I…I'm sorry."

"What?"

"I know I-"

He suddenly burst out laugh.

"hahha yeah I know. That's because, **we haven't done anything**."

"but you said I was… and you are half naked"

"Yeah, I took a shower because I have to work soon. I'm sorry I didn't mean to…"

"So… what happened." I noticed he had a pretty toned body with an impressive six pack… _wow, nice view._

"Well, basically you finally told me what really happened to you last year and we kept talking until we eventually felt asleep." He said turning the gas cooker off.

"Oh…" I watched him approaching, holding a plate with a rice omelet and some steam cooked broccolis, which he placed on the table before me.

"Enjoy your meal, Akane. Thank you again for trusting me. I know It had been hard to tell me the whole truth. But don't worry okay? I'm gonna protect you and nobody will come after you now, I promise. You are safe. I've gotta go, he said having a look at his watch."

I watched him disappear in the bathroom, and coming out 2minutes later, fully dressed and ready to go. He was walking towards the door, when he stopped and turned to face me. "Before I forget, he said, don't worry. The day I'll sleep with you, you'll remember it." And with that, he just left. _Okay, so Mister serious can be a show off sometimes too… _ After I heard his car leaving the alley, I retraced the event of the past night. I told him. Finally I told him. And I was feeling a bit better. Still despicable, but better.

"_**The day I'll sleep with you, you'll remember it."**_ I blushed, thinking about his words. _Does it mean that he wants to? _I wondered, not knowing how I was exactly supposed to feel. My mind wandering, I took my fork and dug on the omelet. It was delicious. I was eating absentmindedly, when my phone rang.

"Ran?" I aid picking up.

"Yup, how are you?"

"Fine, thanks. Is something wrong?'

"Oh.. not really but… look, I forgot to tell you something about the party."

"What?"

"Uh…well, actually it could be better if you came with somebody."

"What do you mean, somebody?"

"A partner. You see there will be a Ball… so you might have to dance, and it would be better if you could dance with someone you're comfortable with."

"What, a Ball? are you kidding me? It doesn't sound like Aki"

"Well, no you're right but his new girlfriend is a fucking CEO daughter and she wanted the party to fit her standards so, she insisted on it. And she holds him by the Balls, so…."

"Okay, I get it… seems I have a lot to catch up to…"

"Yes, you do!" she exclaimed., "see ya tomorrow!"

"yipee.." I hang up, sighing. _Should I ask Kô?_

After a couple of hours thinking, I decided on calling him. Turned out he was surprised, but seemingly please and he accepted the invitation, even after I told him about the costume thing. The only problem was, he had no Masks nor costume… Well, I should have expected that. Amon is not the guy I would actually picture wearing anything else but a suit. After searching for the Shop's business card in my purse, I grabbed my phone and gave a call to Uta.

"HySy ArtMask studio"

"Hey, Good morning It's Akane from the Helter's… I…actually I was wondering if I could borrow a Mask when I come tomorrow."

"Are you telling me you don't want the one I'm making for you? If it's a matter of price,-"

"No, no, I'm sorry, I meant another Mask in addition of that one you're making… The thing is, My friend just told me she forgot to mention about having a partner for the party's Ball. So, I found someone willing to come with me, but I have no mask or costume for him…listen, I know the delay's too short for crafting anything so that's why I'm asking if I can borrow one."

"…Send me your friend by the end of the day, he'll have to try them."

"Okay, great, thank you."

"See you tomorrow"

Relieved, I hang up ang texted Kô telling him the address of the shop. _Maybe Kô and I would make a better team than me-being -alone-team_

**Uta's pov**

It was around 4pm that the door opened to a tall guy, wearing a classy suit and a dark coat. I don't see lots of people coming into my shop, I mean I had a solid reputation underground, but it wasn't what I'd call a "crowded place". So, when people come in, their first reaction is to stand near the door and have a look of the whole place. Various reaction would result of that examination. Fear, fascination, repulsion, adoration, and then, they would walk towards the counter, as silent as they'd be in a church. But that guy, walked passed everything and came straight to me with confidence. CCG's. I can smell those dogs from miles away. Even if my face wasn't showing anything, I could feel the tension of my body risen. He's presence here could have been out of fortuity. But It also could have meant that the girl talked. Neither of those options were exactly making me feel comfortable, but I had to admit I was slightly excited.

"Good afternoon, Sir, may I help you?"

"Actually yes, I… um I came here for a mask A friend of mine told me about"

"Which mask?"

"I don't know yet, I was supposed to drop by trying some"

"Oh, you're the dance partner

"I'm afraid so."

"Come here, please have a seat." I said, pointing the stool. "If you permit me, I'll take your measurements."

"Oh I thought I…"

"I don't have any Greek type mask on store. Plus, I only make unique creations, so I'll have to make one"

"I see…"

"So… as I have to make one, do you have any idea of what you could want?"

"No…not really."

"Should I do it my way, then." I asked, measuring the distance between his eyebrows.

"Yes, I think it would be better. I'm said to have terrible tastes anyway." He answered.

"So… Are you a couple?" I asked, measuring his jaw bone.

"Excuse me, what?"

"I'm asking for the Masks. Should I pair them?"

"Oh… I see, uh, yes."

"Yes, you are a couple, or yes, I should pair them?"

"Pair them please." I smiled seeing his embarrassment.

Looking at him closely, I could tell the man was strong. Certainly Skilled, and considering the way he moves, quite lithe. He didn't seem to be intimidated by my style and he wasn't much a talker. He stood still, looking at the Mask I had on the wall until I was done, then grabbed his coat and walk calmly towards the exit. He was about to pass the door when he turned, facing me.

"You know, your art reminds me of some masks I came to see those last years in the streets"

"Oh, really?"

"yes, they are in fact very unique. Not everyone would wear them, right?"

"Maybe not", I said, holding a smile. _Smart dog_.

"Maybe your clients are just as interesting as your art… would you mind if I come back somedays with some friends of mine?", He asked in a light tone, smiling.

"Well, I'm always happy to have new clients."

"Good… have a nice evening."

When the door shut, I laughed. Things were about to get Interesting. I still didn't know if his suspicious attitude was related to the girl, but I knew one thing. That guy sure was a sleuth and I had to keep an eye on him. I was about to start working on the mask, when my phone rang.

"Uta?"

"Itori wha-"

"You're kidding me, right? Tell me you've nothing to do with that shit."

"Did Ren-"

"REN KNEW? … God, of course he did… what the fuck is going on? You recognized her that day didn't you? That's why you stormed out so suddenly."

"It's a long story, so why don't you stop yelling at me and drop by so I can explain"

"Explain? Explain what? How she came to you, and you play customer service with her after selling her in the auction? What the fuck is wrong with you? What if she had recognized you?"

"Well, turns out she hasn't. And you know what? Even If she does, It'll be another snack of mine. So, stop freaking out"

"Do you realize she-"

"Befriends the doves? Yeah, you told me that and one of them just stepped out of my shop buying a mask and asking if he could bring some more customers"

"WHAT?" Okay, now I can't stay there without doing anything. I'll take care of the girl tonight."

"Oh now you're making me feel bad… didn't she become your friend, eater?"

"Shut the fuck up, you know I like her. But not over my own kind. Shit, Uta you piss me off. If you ever go behind my back like this, I swear I'll kick your ass for a decade."

"Bouhou now, I'm scared. Just for the record, He didn't ask any question"

"YET"

"Listen, let me take care of it. I wanna be the one who does it."

"Of course you do, that's what it was about from the start isn't it? Well, just for the record Renji and I are on the same page here, and we won't risk anything on your little game. So, Back off, you've done enough."

**Itori's Pov'**

Pissed, I threw the phone against the wall and poured myself a huge glass of fresh blood. I couldn't believe it. Even if I have known him for years, this was odd and completely stupid. Sick fuck. I swear it's the one and only last time I befriend a human. _I'll kill her today. I have to._ The worst of all, was if I had killed her the other night I could have prevented her from talking. But I was surprised, and weak. I considered the feelings she had toward our kind, and I let her go, thinking she wouldn't tell a word. And now, it's done. She had brought the dogs in and I have to getta rid of her. I saw her passing the door, smiling, and walking towards me like she always does. _should I do this now, or after the shift._

I thought about it, watching her wiggling around, throwing her purse into the locker and starting to clean the counter. I liked her, and was feeling awful, but It had to be dealt with. Sipping the rest of the blood in one gulp, I finally decided on doing it after. The evening went by fast, not so many clients and I wanted it to get over with.

"Aka, you can go home if you want" I said. _If someone asked question after she'd vanished, I'd only say I don't know what she did after I sent her home._

"Oh, no, it's okay, I already let you down tomorrow, I won't go home tonight."

"Akane, I said go home."

"Itori, What's wrong?... you never..."she said, looking puzzled.

"FUCK Just do as you are told" _Come on please, don't make that any more difficult… _ Shocked, she put her tray back on the counter, grabbed her stuffs and started to walk towards the door.

"Don't I even get to know what I have done? Because whatever it is, I'm sorry, okay?"

"just…go home." I said in a sigh. She looked down, opened the door and walked out without a word. Saying everybody I was closing, I went after her, knowing she wouldn't walk on the main street. while so puzzled. I was about to turn at he corner, in the dark alley parallel to the crowded sidewalk of the main street, when I noticed her smell was quite strong around.

"Itori"

I froze. I looked down, and saw her crouching there, looking me with concern._ Why the fuck didn't you rush home_

"Itori, please… what's wrong? If I did anything, I'd at least want to know."

"Aka…"

"Listen, I know we don't know each other for long, and I know you're my boss, but… you were right, we are friends. I even could say you're my best friend right now and if it wasn't for your advice, I'd probably still be stuck with Kô."

"… what do you mean?" _Please, tell me you did as I told…_

"I told him… the truth…"

_Then I'm sorry…but you don't let me any choice._


	14. Chapter 13 : Close

13\. **CLOSE**

**Itori pov**

"I told him… the truth…"

_Then I'm sorry…but you don't let me any choice._ I counted in my mind, letting the Rc cells flow in my veins, preparing to use my Kagune. I could feel my all body responding to the hungry call of the hunt. My sclera turned black, my Iris turned bloody, and all my senses became alert. Even if she'd run, she wouldn't make it. My speed, my strength, my agility, I'm a creature born for hunting her kind.

I wanted to do this…I just I didn't wanna do this to _**her**_

"I told him that I was kidnapped and hold captive, tied up in total darkness for an unknown amount of time by someone who I never saw the face, that I was given water once -which made me feel sleepy- and the last thing I knew, I was thrown in that damn car with a bag on my head, and a ghoul describing every little thing he intended to do to me before eating me"

"What?" I exclaimed, holding back my hunger.

"I played damsel in distress, I cried, said I was scared and that I was afraid of what he may think of me for hiding it for so long."

"So…you haven't told the truth?"

"Yes I did, just like you said. "selected truth" "

_So, she hasn't told him. _I stopped my motions. _So… if she hasn't told anything, why the did the CCG came to Uta?_ I wondered. What if he didn't believe her?

"and?"_ Fuck, I really needa eat._

"he bought it! He totally bought it. And you were right, I still feel despicable, but better than before." She said with a victorious smile.

"and how you know he really bought it?"

"He may have spent the night at my place…"

"What… did you two…"

"No, he just stayed for comforting me. Nothing happened."

"Okay.", I said. Listen, I'm sorry I had a very long day. I shouldn't have yelled on you like this."

"It's okay. Do you want me to hear you out?"

"No. don't wanna talk about it." I said. The dim light of the narrow street preventing her to see my kakugan, I just cooled down like nothing happened and offered her a ride home. I still didn't know why the CCG came to Uta's, but I knew she hadn't told anything. And I wasn't ready to kill a friend for mere suspicions. At least, for now. Even if I'd hate to admit it, I needed some more time to set up my mind before doing anything that I could regret. The ride was quiet and neither she or I were feeling like cheering up the mood so I just drove in silence. Finally arrived in her street, I dropped her off, watching her walk to her door, and I stood there to think for a while, leaning on the backrest. Actions do have consequences, and maybe I should have killed her anyway whatever she'd talk or not. But the fact is, I couldn't. Not yet. So, After some time I decided on letting her some reprieve until I figure out what was really going on in the CCG's mind. And since she had connections and now I know she hadn't told anything, It may be something we can use to our benefit. Well, okay I was also happy not having to kill my friend tonight. Sighing, I started the engine, and pulled off the driveway.

**Akane's pov**

"…_.According to the police, no trace of M. Nakamura have been found yet. His councilor refused to answer our questions. M. Nakamura has been the __deputy Mayor of Nakano__ Since 2016, and has been conducting a major witch hunt against bribery. Did someone wanted him to disappear? Our…-_

"Bullshit." I turned off the TV, and reached for my phone. 1pm, and I still had a lot of errands to do. First, I had to drop by the Mask Studio and then, I also had to buy two costumes for me and Kô, who by the way hasn't been returning my calls since I invited him to the party. I was slightly worried he might have changed his mind, and that he was trying to keep a low profile for me to not see he was thinking bad of me. _You overthink things. _Maybe I was… but the party was a huge thing for me, and I was a bit stressed out. Putting on a white crop-top and some black jeans pants, I checked myself in the mirror. Down, or up? I wondered, waving my hair. Okay, down. I reached for my purse, put on my pink jacket and walked towards the door. If I had to be honest, I'd admit that I tried lots of clothes before going on those ones. I just didn't know why I was so nervous. When I arrived in front of the door, I felt my stomach flip. I stood a moment there, my hand on the handle, my heart beating my ribs, before finally pushing the door open in a slow motion. With little steps, I made my way to the counter and waited.

"Oh, you are the girl from the last time" Said a voice behind me. _How do those people to be so god damn silent when they walk in? _I turned around, to see the blue-headed girl who greeted me the first time.

"Yeah…Is Uta here?"

"No, I'm afraid he had some errands to take care of… You seem disappointed, did you two have an appointment or something?"

"I'm not disappointed, I said groaning my throat. But yes, We had a kind of appointment, I came to buy what I ordered." _I am not disappointed._

"Oh, the Greek masks, isn't it?"

"Mask**s**?", wasn't Kô supposed to take his yesterday? _Please don't tell me I just got dropped before the date even started._

"Yep, He left a note. Please just wait a second, he left them in the workshop." She said. 2minutes later, she came back with two incredible art pieces that she put on the counter top. And the second I saw it, I stood there in an awe, without being able to talk, nor event to think about anything else. The first one, that I guessed being mine, was a representation of Eurydice. All white, except for a black stain that was covering the wavy-almond right eye, demarcated by a silver embossed metal snake, and dripping in 3 small tears along the cheek. The tail of the snake was pointing at the jaw, and its head was resting between the eyebrows. The left eye was just like on every other statue, a perfect sweet almond shape, surrounded by thin golden vegetal pattern. The mouth was totally neutral on the left side, and awfully sad on the right. The twisted expression was breath-taking in its realism.

The other, was what I guessed to be a representation of Orpheus. Entirely red, with on the left side of the face, an embossed zither elegantly carved in the material from the inside. Its laughing eyes circled with gold, were contrasting with the neutral expression of its cardinal red mouth. And finally, the right side was sprinkled by gold music notes.

"hm hm", said Tôka, giving me a piece of paper. "He left that for you".

"_Dear Akane, here are the two masks you've ordered. They had been paired as requested by your Partner, please enjoy your party. Uta-"_

_So Kô Came, after all, _I smiled. "What about the payment?" I asked frowning.

"Well, you can come next week if you want, or call him to settle another appointment."

"Okay… I'll call, then." I said, looking once again at the masks. 5 minutes after, Tôka gave me a small bag, and I made my way out of the shop, leading for the next step : the costume. Excited at the beginning, I started to be slightly discouraged after the 10th shop without finding anything worth the look. The party was in less than 3 hours from now, and I still hadn't any costume. It took me 1 hour more to finally find a small boutique that was selling carnival accessories. They hadn't many things, but I managed to find two white tunics for me and Kô. Technically, his outfit was more Roman than Greek but since his mask was red, the long cape was kinda okay. Both styles were close after all. Mine was perfect, except for the size a little too large. When I reached home, I noticed a voice mail from Kô.

"I'll pick you up in 1hour, be ready." I looked at my watch. _OH SHIT _I had only 40minutes left. I jumped into the shower and tried to make myself ready as quick as possible. Once clean, I styled my hair in a large side twist, in which I inserted some pearl hair pins, and took the Obi of my white kimono as a belt to correct the size of the tunic.

"Ding Dong"_ Just in time._

I opened the door to a smiling but tired and concerned Kô.

"Hey"

"Hey, I thought you had dumped me. I haven't heard of you since yesterday." I said smiling, leaning against the door frame

"Oh… I'm sorry we have been busy like hell, I forgot…"

"It's okay, don't worry. I have your Mask, and your costume." I said giving it to him. He took it and rushed to my bathroom, and I took a last look in the mirror. _Not bad. _

The way to the hall was oddly quiet. Kô was deep in thoughts, and I just knew something was wrong. We parked in a nearby and put our Masks on before going.

Situated in Marunouchi Chiyoda City and reopened after extensive renovations, as a hospitality complex, the Tokyo Kaikan hall was huge. _Wow, Ran wasn't joking about that "standards" thing._ Completely made of marble from the ground to the ceiling, and enlighten by luxurious crystal Lumineers, the entire hall was huge enough to welcome a football stadium. Kô and I stood there in an awe.

"Are you sure this is the right place?"

"Uh…I believe so"

"Akane, is that you?" Said a voice behind me. I turned around, to see Ran who was more beautiful than ever.

"Oh my god Ran, you're stunning"

"Thanks but, not as much as you are, she smiled. And… would you please tell me who is this Adonis you brought with you", she whispered ogling at Kô.

"Um, Kô, may I introduce you to Kirishima Ran, my former classmate and friend."

"Nice to meet you"

"And, Ran, he is Amon Kôtaro, a dear friend of mine and also a CCG special inspector."

"Nice to meet you", Said Ran, obviously impressed. "our hosts are upstairs on the first floor, Aki should be at the bar." She said, pointing an elevator on our right. "he is hot" she whispered, giggling when he went in passing us. I rolled my eyes, smiling.

"Okay, so… I see you weren't joking about the CEO's little girl were you?"

"No, the girl is a bitch but Aki is more than happy, and I'm not a couple breaker."

A "ding" and some boring music after, the doors opened to a large room crowded with costumed people. Of course, all high-quality costumes, and I was feeling kinda cheap with my carnival shop oversized tunic. But I had to admit, the decorum was fitting the theme, giving the room an antic Greek atmosphere. A violin orchestra was playing next to a dance space on the back, and white gloves waiters and waitresses were going around, offering champagne glass on silver plates. I was not feeling really on my ground, but It was fine. The thing that was making me feel uneasy, was all those masks everywhere. Last time I saw a masked crowd, is the day I was sold at the auction. After a few more minutes breathing and watching from afar, Kô and I decided to go for it. I introduced him to a couple of my friends, who were completely crazy about our masks. People's reactions were never the same, some were uneased, some other adored. But everybody was looking at them.

"Those are amazing," Said Aki who had finally joined us next to the buffet.

"Well, I would say creepy in a way, but I have to admit they are well made, for something not luxurious", Said his rich girlfriend. Named Sonoko, the girl was quite beautiful, but I was certain she would never befriend someone below her "standards". _I'm starting to get why Ran called her a bitch_

"So tell, me Inspector Amon, how does it feel to kill a ghoul?" She asked bluntly.

I was absentmindedly listening Kô trying to answer that shitty question, when my eyes caught something in the back of the room. I was trying to focus on it, but the second I blinked, it had vanished.

"…Akane….Akane….Akane…Akane?" I turned, facing a concerned Kô.

"I'm sorry, I was deep in thoughts"

"Yeah, I saw that. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, absolutely I was… just admiring all the effort you put into this party." I said, looking at Sonoko.

"I'm so glad you like it I mean, I wanted the best for our guests. I gave a call to the most expensive caterer…." Something had to be wrong with my head. Because even just for a second, just beside the window, I thought I had seen a completely white mask, with no face.

2hours went by, and I couldn't help myself for keeping looking around, without ever spotting it. I was convinced I had an hallucination. I was finally getting more relaxed, and the ball was about to start, when Kô got a call.

"Amon", He announced.

"…"

"Okay, understood. I'll be there in 30minutes" He said, clenching his jaw. "I gotta go." He said hanging up, turning to face me.

"What's the matter? Did something happened?"

"I can't tell you this."

"Please, tell me at least it's not Jûzo" I said, worried.

"No, It's not. Don't worry, that kid can handle himself. Now, if you excuse me"

"Please, be safe", I said, catching his hand.

"I will" He leaned to kiss my cheek and walked away to the elevator.

"What happened, did you guys have a fight?" Said Ran who just came on my left.

"No… work Emergency. I don't like it." I said watching him disappear into the elevator. Ran and I went to the bar and chatted for a while, before I decided to call it a night. I wasn't seeing the point in staying at the Ball without any dance partner, and I wasn't really in the mood of searching for a new one. I was about to tell it to Ran, when I caught it on my sight once again. The white mask… And this time, I could see him clearly. I wasn't dreaming. "Ran, would you excuse me for a second, I have to go to the bathrooms." I stood up, walking through the crowd, towards the man I was convinced be wearing the mask. After 30seconds, I reached his arm, but when he turned his head, his mask was just a regular one.

"I'm sorry, I mistook you for someone else." I said, embarrassed. I looked around one more time. There were so many people… my eyes were going from a mask to another, and everything started to become slightly blurry, when I caught a glimpse of him on the staircase leading to the mezzanine. I made my path through the crowd one again and reached the back of the room. He was nearly on top of the stairs, when I started to climb them as fast as I could. This time, I couldn't lose him. I pick up the pace, keeping my eyes on his back and trying to breath. He reached the mezzanine where some people where comfortably seated on a large white couch, then he turned on the left, slipping into the corridor leading to the bathrooms and probably other reception rooms. I put my feet on the last step, with a victorious smile, and went myself into the dim lighted corridor. The guy was walking faster, passing the wall lights like a shadow. One step, two steps faster, and I saw his mantle vanishing at the corner of a narrower corridor. I walked faster again, and when I finally reached its beginning, I saw…nothing? He was gone. I stopped, looking around. Both bathroom doors were located about six feet ahead, on the right side, and I was wondering if he'd run to get in there, when I heard a noise coming from the darkness at the end of the corridor. My heart started beating fast, and I held my breath, walking towards the shadows. Once my eyes got used to them, I could see another opened door, leading to a dark room where I had to blink and focus hard to distinguish the outlines of some furniture. I stood in the door frame, hearkening. The sound of the violins mixed with distant voices were echoing timidly from downstairs, and I could hear my heart hammering my chest, but no other noise came. Without knowing if it was from relieve or disappointment, I sighed and turned my heels, only to bump into someone.

"Oh shit!" I exclaimed, startled.

"Excuse me, I didn't want to scare you." Said a deep voice. I rose my head to see a tall man, wearing a Mask that was figuring Hades.

"It's okay, I was just…, I said, looking one more time behind me, never mind." I passed the man and entered the bathrooms, where I took off my mask and looked in the mirror. My skin was pale and I was a bit sweating. A couple of minutes later, I made my way down, determined to find Ran and say my goodbye before leaving. When I reached the Ball room, Sonoko was having the first dance with Akio. I wasn't surprise to hear a piece of Tchaikovsky's "Nut cracker", of course she'd chose a ballet piece… Everybody was politely watching the couple, and I saw Ran on the very front. I made my way through the crowd, and the last music notes just had died as I came by her side.

"Ran," I started, my voice covered by the clapping "Ran, I..-"

"I'm sorry, my Lady, but I'll take the next dance" Someone on my left said, grabbing my hand. I turned my head, to see the mask of Hades. I was about to decline, but he suddenly pulled me into the dance space, holding me firmly against his chest. I think everybody around us was staring, but oddly enough, I couldn't care less. Because on that moment, my heart just stopped. So did my breath, and apparently, so did the fucking time. Now, the mask from I could before barely see the outlines against the light, was showing his full terrifying beauty. Four dark metal horns taking their large gold roots into the forehead, were overhanging a piece of pure Art. The crow-black face was surrounded by carved gold flames, and its mouth, just like his eyes and eyebrows, was twisted in an expression of anger. And just like I knew the only mind whom that piece could have ever come from, I immediately recognized its holder, who was looking at me with his Dark, bloody eyes.

"Uta…"


	15. Chapter 14 : Dancing with the devil

14\. **DANCING WITH THE DEVIL**

The next dance started with the first notes of the vampire Masquerade by Peter Gundry. I couldn't remember where I had heard it for the first time, but to be honest, under such circumstances I would probably also have a hard time trying to remember my own name. He started leading the move, in a slow Walz motion, darting his eyes into mine. I followed, carefully, mesmerized by his gaze. I wasn't such a great dancer myself, but I had to admit he brought at least the feeble potential out of my body. Keeping the distance between our chests, his pelvis firmly pressed against mine, he pulled the strings for his puppet to dance with grace and limberness across the space. After some time, He tightened his embrace around my waist to lead me at a quicker pace, and I could feel his breath on my ear when he said "It looks like Orpheus abandoned his Eurydice, after all."

"oh Kô ? no he got a call from work" I said after a while, barely breathing. 123, 123 our pace was steadily becoming quicker and quicker, making my head spin.

"Then it must be very important, for him to let you in hell" He whispered, sending shiver down my spine, "let us hope, your story won't end up into a tragedy." He said making us spin quicker.

All my body was numb and overwhelmed by an unbearable heat. I couldn't help myself for feeling hungry for his touch, and I was starting to hate myself for being such an easy mess. He is just playing with you, stop being so foolish.

"I didn't know you were invited too", I said, trying to calm down.

"I wasn't."

"What?" I whisper-yelled with a confused look.

"I was just curious about that Bal that you wanted to wear my art for" he said, quoting me and making blush in shame. Our upper body apart once again, he made us spin once more, bringing our pace slower.

"Was it worth the look?" I asked, avoiding his gaze. The song was slowly dying in its last notes. "Ravishing" He whispered as he leaned on me for a final upside-down figure. It took a few seconds for my heart to calm down after we parted, and It's only when he kissed my hand and walked back through the crowded room, that I realized everybody was staring at me. Embarrassed, I did the same, letting the enthusiastic couples invading the dance floor.

"Oh my god what was that ?!" Exclaimed Ran, who had joined me in the corner, away from the packed place.

"Nothing" I said, blushing. I needed some fresh air.

"Are you kidding me? Who was that guy?"

"I don't know."

"Oh, sure. You just blew all the spectators away, by dancing a creepy, hot waltz with a perfect stranger, not to mention your masks oddly shared some creepy common points"

"I swear, Ran, I don't know, I said in an exasperated tone, actually before all of that fuss, I was about to tell you I was tired and that I wanted to leave."

"Oh, no, you may leave for now, but I swear I'll learn the truth one way or another." She said with a mischievous smile, carrying me back to the elevator. After promising to see each other soon, we waved goodbye, and I made my way home hailing a Taxi from the entrance. It had been a long and oh very strange night, and I really needed to rest. The images of the dance kept coming back to me as I watched the lights pass behind the window during the silent drive. No matter what I was doing, it seems all my thought were going back to him. Back into my apartment, I poured myself a glass of white wine and sat before a blank canvas. needing to rest, but being too restless to sleep, I grabbed my charcoal and started to draw.

The next morning, I was awakened by a never-ending ringing phone.

"Hello?", I mumbled, eyes still shut by a very short night.

"Akane, it's Kôtaro, said Kô in an exhausted voice, are you okay?"

"Yeah…kind of. I just had a short night."

"Oh…I see, I just wanted to know if everything was alright, I'm sorry for leaving like this last night"

"No worries, Kô I understand." I said, yawning.

"would you prefer me to call you later?"

"No, it's okay. I'll have to wake up in an hour anyway."

"Okay, cool. Can we have a coffee somewhere, as I can explain myself about why I let a so stunning dance partner alone at the Bal?" He asked, gently.

"Sure, let me take a shower and dress decently, and I'll come to you."

"Okay, see you at Tully's in an hour, then."

"I'll be there, bye." I said, stretching my numb limbs. It took about 40minutes for me to be ready after I finally managed to get out of my bed. When I arrived at the café, Kô was already there, waiting for me at a small table next to the window. He was wearing what I knew to be his spare suit and had wide dark circle under his eyes. No need to be Holmes to know his night had been at least as short as mine, and for probably less joyful reasons. I went to the counter, ordered for a Iced Caramel latte with extra whipped cream, and went sitting in front of him.

"Hey"

"Hey," he said back, with a little voice. "You don't know how relieved I am to see you went home safe."

"Don't worry, I'm a big girl, I took a cab."

"But I am worried.", He said, taking a sip of he's black coffee. "I shouldn't talk to anyone about this, but I wanna make sure you take all precautions when you come back from work. I won't be able to pick you up at all, for a while" he said, looking at me intently and selecting his words "Those last 48hours, Agents have been missing."

"What do you mean, missing?" I asked, frowning.

"I mean, they didn't come to work, have been unreachable, haven't used their credit card and haven't been seen by anyone during those last 48hours.", he explained.

"what a…"

"Takizawa, Akira, and two others. We've been searching for them relentlessly, calling hospitals, their families, checking their patrol ground, and scoured almost every corner of the center, inch by inch, without ever finding them anywhere."

"I don't know what to say, Kô… I'm sorry"

"Something is about to happen, he said, deep in thoughts, and I don't like it."

"I'm sure she's alright, Kô. She just had been promoted 1st rank, I'm sure the famous spine user can handle herself." I said, trying to cheer him up.

**Uta pov**

"Aaaaaahrg…" A long agony cry echoed in the dark room. I love that music. The 3 tied men lying at my feet where waiting for their turn, covered in sweat and their own piss. "It seems your friend is a little bad ass" I said to them, smirking.

"Akira will never talk! spat the one on the right, you can do whatever you want to us, we'll never betray the CCG." It should have taken all its last courage to bark those words, and I was finding it quite amusing.

"AAAAAAAAhhhhhhhrg" another cry, soon followed by dark wet gurgles, made the men whine in desperation.

"You see, if I were you, I'd pray for her to talk before she dies", I said, taking a seat in the metal chair in front of them. "Because if she doesn't, It will be your turn to be questioned. And I won't hold back like my little friend down there. You think it's hard to hear it? But I will let you see it all. I will slowly, meticulously, and so very painfully ripp, and tear your friends apart inch by inch right before your eyes. At first, you'll try to be brave. But soon… you'll beg me to kill you. But even if you do so, I won't stop until you'll say what I want to hear…" I said in a neutral tone, watching the fear eating their guts with delight. About 3 minutes later, Sota entered the room, covered in blood. Everything had turned quiet, except for the blink of the neon light projecting its halo above us. All three men rose their heads towards Sota, and just by looking at the pure dread in their eyes, I knew she had kept her mouth shut until the end. I smiled behind my mask. Slowly I stood up, and grabbed the man in the right, to drag him at the back of the room where a bloody iron hook was waiting just for him to be hang on it. Once he was hanged nicely in a funny upside-down position, I pulled the chain attached to the pulley, to hoist him up and waited for the blood to find its way down to his brain. His face was red like a tomato and I could see a preeminent vein throbbing on his forehead.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I will now present before your popeyed eyes, the next performance: The slaughter of the one-eyed pig., I said, like standing on my theatre scene. "That performance Is also called "where is the colchea's entrance?", and if one of you know the answer to that question, he can stop the performance as soon as he tells it.", I said, pausing. Both men looked at me with fear distorted faces.

"What? I asked playfully, Is there something you don't understand?"

"Don't listen to him, whatever you see don't tell a word! Akira made it, so we can do." The poor pig shouted, spating on his own face.

"Oh! I get it, I snapped my fingers, smiling devilishly, It's because of the name, right? I said, getting closer to my victim. What a careless person I am, I said, holding his face between my hands. I forgot to take it out." And with one slow pressure, I plunged my thumb into his right eye-socket, moving the squishing eye ball, and tearing it out with a soft popping sound.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAhhhhhhhhhhhhhhrg" Then, I turned around, facing the terrified men who were having a hard time not to puke, and ever so slowly, put the eyeball into my mouth. The taste wasn't so good, but eyeball were definitively my favorite snack.

When I left the room about 15minutes later, Sota and Eto were waiting for me around the table.

"Oh, you've done it quick", said Eto with a big smile on her face.

"I know. They never last long after you let them see it… humans are so weak." I said, licking the blood from my fingers, like a cat. "They have no eyes anymore, but still alive for a snack. What do you think?", I asked, facing Sota.

"We still can drop them to the restaurant. Madame A would be more then please to have some dove meat." He chuckled.

"If I were you, interrupted Eto, I'd let the dead one in a place far away from our target, as a diversion."

"I'll take care of that" said Sota, making his way back to the room where he tortured the girl.

Once he left, Eto looked at me seriously.

"So he spoke."

"Yes, he did. The main entrance is here, I said pointing a t the bottom of the map that was spread over the table. But It's only the agent's one. The one where they bring new prisoners through, is underground", I explained.

"How do we access it"

"By there" I pointed what seemingly was a mere bank building at the corner of the street.

"Okay. So what do you suggest?"

"You take Three squads here, here and there, I said pointing three building's roofs, to watch the zone. And then, someone will have to make a diversion far enough to mobilize the elite agent sections and prevent any backup to come after you."

"Sound fine, Eto said, seeming deep in thoughts. What about inside?"

"I think 3 squads should enter the prison. One for each level of depth, and one for making a diversion near the main entrance where the CCG forces will be numerous." I advised, chewing at small piece of optical nerve stuck between my teeth.

"I want you to come with me." She said after a while.

At the age of 24, Eto Yoshimura was a strong and smart Ghoul lady. We were not part of the same clan, but even if her motivations and mine weren't the same, I had to admit at least we shared some common grounds. Her green mischievous eyes seemed always hiding some playful joke, and if she was often perceived like someone superficial, she was moved by strong convictions. I have known her for a long time, and I knew that being the leader of Aogiri wasn't an easy task every day. She had called me two weeks ago to tell me about her plan to attack the Colchea, the Ghoul's prison the CCG established in the 23rd ward, and even if I wasn't sharing her enthusiasm, the perspective of having some fun made me accept to give her a hand.

"I agreed to this, but not to participate", I said back. "You know I respect you, but we don't share the same motives and the clowns are not a branch of Aogiri. We have no business with that."

"I know, but I'm not asking the leader of the clowns. I'm asking you as a.."

"Let me guess, I interrupted, as a "friend"?"

"Let say as a person of understanding, she said. I'm not asking you to drag the clowns in it, you can either come alone or bring someone of trust with you, I don't care. I just want you to be with me on it." She said, looking at me with her deep emerald eyes. She could be pretty charming, I thought, gulping the rest of the nerve.

"Okay, I said, getting closer to her, I'll come with you with two of my guys, as a personal favor. But let's keep it a secret." I said leaning on her.

"Fine, she said with a playful smile. If it works, Naki and Satchi will be free and join me. And I…"

"An you will owe me one", I completed, grabbing my jacket.

"Yes, I'll owe you one." Said Eto, smiling.

With that, I made my way to the stairs, heading back to the 14th. I needed a drink, and a little talk with my lovely red head.

Akane pov

"Hi" I greeted Itori, pushing the Helter's door, and walked towards the counter. When I arrived, The red-head was in the middle of cleaning the shelves, perched on a high stool.

"Hi", she said back, seeing me throwing my purse in the locker. "How was your day?"

She was wearing a sexy black top, see-through around the cleavage showing the mole on her left breast. I couldn't help myself for admiring her. She was so womanly, and self-confident, the exact opposite of me.

"A little bit bizarre, I said, but kind of okay." Do you want me to help with that?", I proposed, pointing the shelves.

"No, thanks, I'm fine. But it would be pretty cool if you handled the bar setting while I finish this up."

"Sure."

The customers arrived almost all at once around 8, and I started feeling overwhelmed. The bar was a mess, and Itori had vanished somewhere in the kitchen to prepare more meat pies while I was searching for more home wine from the cellar, when I dropped a bottle which smashed on the ground with a loud glass breaking sound. I sighed, rolling my eyes. Wine had squirted almost everywhere, staining my legs, just as the bar's cupboards and the fridge's doors. Marvelous. Trying to not smash anything else, I put the rest of the bottles down next to the sink and crouched next to the "war zone" to gather the shredded piece of glass. I put them one by one in the metal bucket meant for that purpose, and stood up, grabbing a towel when I noticed a sudden quietness. The music was still playing on the back ground, and we could still hear some chat in the back of the room, but most of it was silent of any talk. It only last a second, but for a moment I felt like everybody was intently staring at me.

"I'm sorry, I stammered out, embarrassed, don't worry about It"

Not wanting to be the center of attention anymore, I hided behind the counter, cleaning the mess using my towel, and tried to focus on tasks. Once done, I washed my hands, and turned facing the new customer that had come to the counter.

"Good evening Sir, can I…" My voice got stuck in my throat when I saw Uta, casually leaning on the counter-top, his gaze darted at mine.

"Good evening, Akane", He said with his neutral voice, tilting his head. "You cut your finger." He pointed at my right hand, from I wasn't aware some blood was dripping in small drops.

"Oh, shit!" I exclaimed, looking for some tissue.

"let me have a look.", He said offering his hand for me to put mine on it. I hesitated for a while, before giving it to him, slightly blushing. He softly grabbed it, looking at my scratch for a moment before taking my finger between his lips and sucking at it gently. The whole thing happened before my eyes, without I could say anything, I just stood there in an awe, with a shallow breath and a racing heart. He was looking at me the whole time, and I had to admit feeling very weird. All my body was getting warm, and my finger tip was so sensitive…I mean I didn't remember any moment I was oh so very conscious I had an index fingertip. It was throbbing, and I could feel the blood rushing into it, but all pain was gone. It was wet, and smooth and so….erotic…

"Uta, can you try NOT eating my waitress behind my back!" Snapped Itori with an angry voice. All magic broken, I jumped a step back, completely red and embarrassed.

"Jealous? I was just trying to help, the poor thing had a cut on her finger, I thought it would be better to clean it fast", He said in a sing song tone.

"Whatever, U-chan, can't you see we are busy, I don't have time for your jokes." She said back, frowning. "Go put something on that cut, Akane", she told me, before facing Uta once again.

"Actually I have something to discuss with you… in private" I heard Him say while I was heading for the kitchen where was the first-aid kit.

It took me some time finding it, and when I was back behind the counter, Uta was gone. I scanned the room searching for him, but he was nowhere to be seen and there was still plenty of task to do, so I put my disappointment aside, and focused on the matter.

At 1.30am, the last customers where heading for the door, and I was gathering the remaining glass, when Itori called me from the counter.

"What was that, earlier?", she asked, pointing at my wounded finger.

"Oh, that, I just cut my finger while gathering shredded glass", I explained.

"I get that. I was talking about this, she said, sucking her own finger in an exaggerate motion, what you were doing with U-chan."

"He just asked me to have a look and…"

"and you let him suck at your finger with that heated expression", she completed ironically.

"It's not that…"

"Spit it already, you have a crush on him, don't you?"

"I…. okay maybe." I stuttered, redder than ever.

"AAAhhhh I knew it! She exclaimed triumphally. And It's nothing new under the sun…"

"So… what can I do?"

"for what? What do you want?"

"I don't know…"

"Don't you have a boyfriend already?"

"Kô?... We never said we were…officially dating or whatever… and he looks more interested on his work _Or on Akira_"

"what makes you think that?"

I told her about the party, and the call Kô suddenly got. I kept silent about what I was certain to be hallucinations about the white mask, and told her how Uta made me dance.

"And you are sure it was him?" she asked concerned.

"100%. Itori… I don't know what to do, he is so… every time I see him, touch him, even hear his voice, my heart get crazy and I can't breathe"

"Oh my god, aren't you a horny little one, getting excited all over him like that"

"Oh please, stop joking around, I'm serious. I don't know what to do…"

"Listen Akane," she said in a sudden serious tone. I looked in her eyes, waiting for her to talk. "I see you are serious, and so I am. Don't get close to U-chan."

"What?... why? I asked."

"He's not for you."

"Wait, are you two in a relationship or something?" I asked worriedly, remembering Uta's words. _"Jealous ?" (…) I wanna talk to you in private"_

"what? No! god no, said Itori, we are friends. And I tell you this because I know him very well. He's not a good guy, Akane. And I don't want you to be hurt."

"What do you mean, not a good guy, is he a serial killer or something?" I asked jokingly.

"Of course not, she said, rolling her eyes, but believe me you don't want to know him like I do."

"But-"

"just trust me, Akane, please."

"Okay… but he is the one who started it..."

"He was just playing like always. He is a player.", she snapped. "Listen, I'm not saying you're not beautiful, or worth a guy's interest, because believe me, you are. He's just not...like that. He sees something he likes, he plays with it, and once bored, he moves on. So… please stay away from him."

"Okay… but if so… you are his friend, right? So… could you just ask him what he's trying to do with me, for I can be certain once for all? I asked timidly."

"Okay, Itori sighed. I'll ask him, but don't get excited with it." She concluded grumpily before resuming the closure.

_I guess I can say good bye to my cheerful mood…_


	16. Chapter 15 : Living Nightmare

15\. **LIVING NIGHTMARE**

**Itori pov.**

Akane was gone when I texted Uta. He came 15minutes later, entering the bar with his usual casual demeanor.

"So, what is it you wanted to talk about in private?" I asked bluntly, pouring us 2 large glass of blood.

"It's about the colchea" he just said, sitting on one of the stools in front of the counter. I took a sip, looking at him and waiting for more explanations. "Aogiri will attack it next week." He said, drinking slowly.

"And?"

"And Eto asked me to be in."

"She knows the clowns are independent. We are nothing to do with that." I said.

"Yes, she knows. She asked it as a personal favor." He explained, putting his glass down.

"So?" I asked, slightly surprised.

"So, I accepted, he said, she took some of my strategy advices, so it won't be that bad. And It will be some fun, to kick on a dove nest."

"If you say so…"

"I want you with me." He said, looking me in the eye. "You and Sota."

"Hmmm. Why not, I also need some fun and It's been some time since I had a proper hunt.", I said, smiling. "But the Colchea is said to be extremely guarded, I assume your plan Is quite good."

"Yes, it is. We had some doves telling us where the prisoner's entrance is.", he explained. "

"So that's why Yomo told me the CCG was nervous, I laughed. How many have you caught?" I asked, curious, "I assume they didn't come to you with the information packed with ribbon".

"we got 4 of them. 2 are still alive, we will give them to the restaurant. So, are you in it?" he asked, tilting his head.

"You bet, I am." We toasted and finished up our drinks. "That said, I also have something to discuss with you, I said seriously. He rose an eyebrow, waiting for me to tell more. I know you went to the Party Akane went to. I don't know what you're doing, but I want you to stop."

"Oh? Shouldn't I be the one asking question about what you're doing, Itori? He said in his calm tone, If I am correct, the girl should be dead right now. I was surprised when Tôka told me someone came to pick up the masks I left at the shop. I thought you'd have settle the matter just like you said, eater."

"I changed my mind"

"Why?"

"Mind your own business."

"You came to like her, don't you?" He asked, smirking.

"I just thought she might be useful if we need some information about what the dove are up to", I lied.

"And what about your fear she'd lead them to us?"

"…"

"Oh? she hasn't told a thing, has she?" He said, a strange glowing in his eyes.

"Don't make that victorious face, I still don't know why and it keeps bothering me."

"If so, then I don't see the problem in getting closer to her. After all, I'm intrigued too. I even might like her"

"Yes, intrigued that's all. The only one you like is yourself. Oh yeah you don't see the problem? And what do you think will happen if she learns the truth, hm? Do you think she still would keep her mouth shut? Do you think she still would want to be close to you?"

"Don't tell me what to do. Even If I don't wanna fight you, I won't let you order me around." He said coldly.

"Uta, I'm very serious. And I don't mind fighting." I growled.

"…fine" He said, in a sigh, finishing up his drink. "I won't chase after her. Happy?"

"Verry", I said, texting Akane, to end it once for all. Uta turned his heels, and made his way back to the door, then stopped mid-way, and looked at me.

"I said I won't chase after her, he repeated, but if she comes to me, then I won't hold back. Let's have the odds decide on it. It's quite fun." He said chuckling before leaving me to my thoughts. _That damn player._

**Akane pov**

Someone was following me. I couldn't see anything in this darkness, but I could hear his steps echoing on the cobblestones, right behind me. I didn't know how long I've been walking like this. My legs were starting to hurt a bit, and It was hard to breath.

"Is anyone there?" I asked, turning around once again. But as every time, nobody answered. My breath was getting heavier, and a stream of cold sweat was finding its way down my spine. I resumed my walk again, trying to go faster, as I heard them again. Louder, closer behind me… _at this rate he might…_ I was about to despair, when I saw a dark tunnel dug in a brick wall on my right. Maybe… I thought, slipping in and hoping that he would continue his way going straight. I stood there motionless for a little while, my heart beating wildly, trying to figure out whether he was gone, or waiting for me to do any sound. Afraid that my breath could alert him, I covered my mouth with both hands, closing my eyes. Then, after a while hearing nothing else, but the heavy rain hitting the pavement, I took a deep breath and decided to walk further in the dark tunnel. Rain water had entered here and formed a puddle that made squishy sounds at each one of my steps. I kept going for maybe 15minutes without ever seeing the end of it. It was like it kept stretching further, and further. Then, suddenly, I heard footsteps again. Squish, squish, squish. My heart stopped.

"Found you" Said a dark, deep voice in a sing song tone. Without giving it any second thought, I started running. I ran, as fast as I could. The voice behind me started singing a dark lullaby. I know this song, I thought for a second before accelerating. Even though his tone wasn't changing the slightest, he must have been running because he was getting closer again. I felt tears running down my cheeks, and was about to give up, when I hit what seemed to be a wooden door. I fumbled the hard material searching for the handle and pulled it. Once the door opened, I was bathed in a strong, warm light. Right before my eyes was a huge Bal room. I quickly entered, closing the door shut behind me, and looked around. There were so many people… I knew the place, for I came here for Aki's party last week, but this time I couldn't recognize any of the faces I saw. It was overwhelming, and I suddenly felt out of breath. My head was spinning, while I looked at another corner of the room.

Kô. He was talking with Akira. The blond girl was wearing a stunning red dress and was holding his arm while talking. _I'm glad she's safe…. I have to tell him about that man_, I thought looking at the door behind me after a while. Determined to do so, I slowly started making my way through the crowd. I walked, walked and kept walking, but the crowd kept getting thicker, and Kô was out of reach. I was squeezed between people, like a piece of meat between teeth. It was harder and harder to keep going through and eventually, Kô turned his back and walked further away from me. "Kô, I called, raising an arm for being more visible in the human sea, KÔ !" He turned his face towards me, but Akira squeezed his arms, forcing his look away once again.

"Kô…" I felt so frustrated.

"It seems the handsome inspector is too busy to take care of you.", Whispered a deep voice in the shell of my ear, covering my eyes with soft gloved hands. "Found you". My breath died in my lungs. No way… I closed the door…I couldn't move. No matter how I tried, my body wouldn't budge.

"Ne, stay with me?... Let me take you to the depth of hell…" , He whispered again, sliding his right hand on my throat, sending shivers down my spine. It was like he could see me. See my body through my cloths, see my flesh, and my very bones through my skin. Like he was in my head, seeing clear in every thought, and seeing my very soul. I turned, slowly, facing the gold mask I had drawn. my heart was beating so fast it hurt when I put my hands on each sides of his face, gently pulling at the mask. I was scared… so scared…but I wanted to see. **I had **to see his face. He grabbed my waist and firmly pulled me against him. Something was echoing far away, but I couldn't hear it clearly. Warm, I thought, my eyes fixed on the mask I was slowly taking off, holding my shallow breath. _Just a little more_… the sound became louder. I hadn't realized until then that everybody in the room had frozen. The mask was sliding down his forehead. Again, this sound…

"AAH!" I exclaimed, sitting under the duvet, covered in sweat. _A dream?_ Grabbing my phone, I turned off the alarm and let myself fall flat on the mattress. _It felt so real_. I waited 5 more minutes to calm down, before heading to the shower. When I went back, I noticed Itori had texted me. "Just as I said. He's not interested. Move on." Cold as usual. She wasn't very good at warm texting. I sighed. It's not like I had high expectation anyway, but still… I couldn't deny my pride was hurt. I felt like I've been made a fool, and I hated it.

I sat in front of my canvas grabbing my brushes, trying to paint the frustration away. I had painted and drawn plenty of things since the incident, and I was happy about it but no need to be a shrink to notice the change into my art. Once colorful, cheerful and shining, it had now turned into something dark gloomy, but stronger in a way. _Maybe I shouldn't have asked for that, _I sighed, thinking of Uta,_ And I still need to pay him for the masks…_

**Kô pov.**

"What are you doing here at this hour?"

"It kills me, I know the answer is somewhere right before my eyes, but I can't see it at all. I don't understand. No matter how I look at it, I know something's just there, but the answer keeps slipping out of my reach." I exclaimed, frustrated when Juzô entered my temporary office in the 13th ward where I was standing before a white board showing the portrait of the missing agents.

"They're not the same level, are not working into the same section, and don't seem to be linked at all."

"So?" Asked Juzo, nibbling at a lollipop.

"But they must have something in common. It can't be random attacks", I said, sighing.

"Sensei say Ghouls are smart rat, Juzô said, so I think you are right."

"But I don't see what it is they have in common."

"Have you checked up the old cases?"

"Yeah…they haven't work on any case together."

"Hmmm so, we can forget personal vendetta, ne, Rei. he said for himself. Maybe we don't look at it the right way", he then added at my intention, tilting his head.

I was about to ask him for more explanation, when I got a call from Shinohara.

"Did something happen?" Jûzo asked, once I had hanged up.

"The police called… apparently someone anonymously signaled seeing a ghoul victim's body…" I could feel blood leaving my face. Somewhere, deep down I knew… Something really bad happened.

"Where?"

"Chiyoda" I answered heading for the door, half runing. _Why in the 1st while it's so guarded?_ I thought, jumping in my car. It was the national day and lots of people were in the streets to see the fireworks the Mayor had organized next to our headquarters.

Juzô sat next to me, looking at his phone with his dark-circled heavy eyes. "Hmm It's not good." He commented, showing me the GPS location spot. Indeed. The flashing spot was situated right in the middle of the town hall Squair where the town would have the firework to start in an hour.

The traffic was terrible. Despite using the Siren, it took us almost 50minutes to reach there. When we arrived, Other cars were already parked behind the barriers, but no agent had stepped on the square yet. By chance, the Area had already been forbidden to people because of the fireworks, which would make easier for us to avoid a panic. I got out of the car, passed the barrier, and walked towards my former instructor who was talking over the phone. I was about to ask for information when he motioned me to wait, before resuming what seemed to be a very serious call. After some seconds looking at Shinohara from afar, Jûzo had joined me, using one of his hand as a visor, to perceive something behind the strong light of the streetlamps bathing the square.

"Looks like there's something just before the forecourt" He said, in a curious voice. A quick look shown me Shinohara wasn't done yet. Not wanting to wait any longer, I started to walk towards forecourt, at a quick pace. The closer I got, the worse I was feeling. Something was just not right. The area had been closed to people since more than 6 hours now, and I don't see the police waiting before calling you on that matter. So how a witness could have seen anything to report from that distance? When I reached the middle of the place, I felt my heart tighten. Jûzo was right, something was standing just in front of the town hall's forecourt. It was tall, and shaped like a weird cross, not really the type of thing you expect to find when someone says "Ghoul's victim". I kept going, Ignoring Shinohara and Juzô who were calling my name. It was not a cross, ba more human-like figure. _A scarecrow_? I thought keeping going. At About 30feet, I saw what I thought to be blond hair. My heart sank.

"Kotaro! Stop, don't go any further, Kotaro!" Shinohara and some others had started running after me. I could hear their footsteps hitting the pavement. Ignoring their calls, I ran towards the crooked figure. I was about 20feet, when all the light went suddenly off, immersing the whole square into darkness. I froze, opening my eyes wide, trying to adapt quicker to the lack of light, when a loud whooshing sound followed by many others echoed all around. I instinctively lowered my head, seeing lots of bright flashes going up to the sky before blooming in colorful fire flowers. _The fireworks? Why didn't they call it off in those circumstances? _Relieved we weren't under attack, I focused once again on the figure that was now standing out against the light. It was not a scarecrow… It was a human body. It had been tied up on a cross made with iron pipes and plunged into broken paved ground. Moving forwards once again, I could see more of it inch by inch between the flashing lights. I was about Ten feet when the sky was suddenly enlightened by a gigantic red flower. I stopped, and it felt like all became silent. I could feel my blood freezing in my veins and my legs weaken before I fell on my knees, vomiting. The one standing on that cross, just before my eyes... was no other than Akira. Her eyes had been ripped off their sockets, letting streams of dry blood staining her cheeks and her mouth had been cut in a hideous smile from an ear to another. I eventually stood up, still wobbling and walked closer. _She can't stay like this, I have to put her down_. I thought, stretching my arm to grab the rope that was around hers. I was almost having it when Shinohara and Jûzo came around and grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to go backwards. "LET GO OF ME! I HAVE TO PUT HER DOWN!" I yelled, struggling.

"I'm sorry, Kô but we cant let you do this. It's dangerous! we'll go back with the forensic once the firework stopped!" Said Shinohara, still holding me. I kept fighting for a while, hearing any sound coming from afar like through a long tunnel, before everything became blurry.


	17. Chapter 16 : Unsolved Questions

16 . **UNSOLVED QUESTIONS**

**Kô pov**

I opened my eyes on a white ceiling. Jûzo was asleep in a large brownish armchair and I could hear the beeping sound of a heart monitor. Hospital, I thought, all my body feeling heavy. I was stretching my numb limbs, trying to figure out what happened, when Shinohara entered the room in a hurry. He stood there for a second, looking at me intently and then I remembered. I had lost it. Seeing Akira like this made me lose it completely. I remembered trying to pull her off that hideous cross. I remembered the horrible face she had and the great fire rain falling in red strains behind her, and then… all became blurry. I must have passed out, I thought, my stomach feeling weird. He must have been reading my mind, because when I looked at him Shinohara spoked in a calm, gentle tone.

"You are at the main office's care center… you passed out after you found her." He paused, waiting for me to ask any question, but I was still under shock and nothing came to mind, so he continued. "I'm sorry Kô… if only you had waited… I was calling the mayor, asking for the fireworks to be cancelled when you guys arrived, but he wouldn't listen to me. Apparently, this town had suffered enough to deserve a peaceful and normal night, he refused. When I hanged up you were already in the middle of the square." He explained.

"So you knew." I said in a feeble tone.

"Yes, he sighed, we found her about 15minutes before you came, but for safety reasons I had to make everyone stand behind the barrier and try to call off the fireworks first." He paused again, waiting for any reaction. I nodded silently. "Kôtaro, I'm sorry…I know how much she meant to you… how much she meant to all of us. She was family." He looked at me once again, trying to find his words to get to the point without hurting my feelings.

"Did you find anything?" I asked bluntly after a while.

"The forensic made his preliminary examination, but it wasn't very conclusive. The autopsy will be tomorrow morning, we'll certainly learn more then."

"Okay. I'll be there." I said. Knowing him for years now, I could notice he was feeling uneasy.

"What is it you want to say?", I asked, frowning.

"Kô… I'm sorry, I know you don't wanna hear that right now but You are officially out of the case, under penalty of suspension"

"What? NO YOU CAN'T DO THAT TO ME."

Shinohara looked at me with sorry eyes. "believe me it doesn't make me happy, but our superiors had been very clear."

"I know I should have find something sooner, but I know I can make it, please don't do that to me…"

"It's not that… Kô, Akira was your partner. It's too personal it can affect your judgment, you know how it works. Some agents are still missing and we can't risk to lose them too because of a miss judgment.

"But I know I'm close, I…"

"Kôtaro ENOUGH ! this conversation is over. I have to go back to work. You have a week off. Take it and come back with your head on your shoulders. I swear we're going to catch and kill those bastards."

"Don't worry, said Jûzo once Shinoahara was gone, I'll send you everything we find."

**Akane pov**

It's been a week since Itori told me Uta was not interested, and he hasn't stepped in the Helter ever since. What a dick, I mumbled, he made all that fuss, getting closer and all, for nothing. It was hard to admit it, but I really had a crush on him and defeat had a bitter taste. Still having to pay him for the masks, I was about to leave the house when I got a call.

"Hello?"

"Hello, miss Tachibana?" Asked a masculine voice.

"herself, I said, squeezing the phone between my cheek and my shoulder while closing my door, what can I do for you?"

"It's Inspector Shinohara, from the CCG. I um… I'm calling about Amon… " he said hesitatingly. It's been a while since I had heard from Kô actually, and I was worried. He hadn't returned my call, nor answered my texts since he had left the party, and I was wondering if something bad had happened.

"What about him? Is he okay?"

"Um… I don't know, I hopped you could tell me that. His partner died a week ago and the office had him take some days off, but he hasn't returned our call ever since, and… as you two are close I thought maybe you could tell me more."

"Oh my god…" I was shocked. I didn't know Akira was dead and I suddenly felt guilty fort not having visiting him sooner. he must be feeling terribly down.

"Actually, we haven't spoke since he went to a party with me last week…", I said in a weak voice.

"It's okay, I'll send someone to check at his apartment", said Shinohara.

"No, it's not necessary, I'll go there myself. Can you give me your number for I can keep in touch?"

"Of course."

After I hang up, I ran downstairs, my head full of worries. I couldn't stop blaming myself for being such a bad friend. I should have known something was off, he was so preoccupied during the party, and he left so quickly. I was too busy thinking about that damn Uta who by the way wasn't interested in me… while Kô …

Wanting to have access both to the 1st and the 13th office, Ko was living in the 3rd ward, not far from the tower of Tokyo. The Mask shop being closer to my house, I decided to go there first, before heading to Minato-ku by taking the tube. I walked fast in the busy streets and reached the entrance in 20minutes. When I stepped in, Uta was perched on a high stool, hanging his new creation on the left wall.

"Good morning" He said when I reached the counter. I looked at him coming to me, pulling my wallet from my purse.

"Good morning, I said in a colder tone than expected, I came to pay for the masks."

"Did you enjoy the party?", he asked smiling.

"It was boring. I wish my partner could have stayed longer" I answered, looking away and letting some cash on the counter top.

"It's 6060 yen each." He said, amused.

Still without looking at him, I added 2300 more yens, and made my way to the exit. "You forget the change", he said.

"Keep it." I spat, opening the door, not wanting to lose any time. He had some guts to ask me how it was. moron, I thought, walking out. That done, I walked fastly to the tube station, wanting to see Kô as soon as possible. The third ward was just next to the 4th so It didn't take too long, and fortunately he was living very close to the station. I only had been to his apartment once about 6month after we met. The 10 floors building had just been renovated and lots of his habitants were old couples or middle-aged salary men, that's why he had chosen it. He and I have our differences, but we had at least one common point which is our love for quiet places. I took the lift and walked through the long-carpeted corridor of the 6th floor, until I saw his door. I knocked about 4 times without having any answer and I was about to walk away when he final opened the door. I stood there in an awe, without saying anything, just looking at him. In more than a year of friendship I've never saw him in such a state. The Kô always neat and strict with himself about everything, was now a total mess. He had huge dark circles under his eyes, his tie was crooked, his shirt wrinkled and stained, and he obviously hadn't had a shower for days. He was looking at me with heavy eyes bulging by sleepless nights and the gallons of coffee he had probably drunk during the last at least 48hours. It was hard to see him this way and I didn't wait for him to invite me in or even say something, to stomp into his apartment. It was an ordinary Japanese style room, with a small kitchen, a large living room and two bedrooms. Nothing spectacular, but still cozy. As we can expect it from a single-man, the decoration was neutral, with pure lines and masculine dark furniture and usually, he was keeping it as Tidy as possible. He watched me taking off my shoes in the genkan, then shut the door and followed me to the living room where he obviously had spent a lot of time. This room too, just as him was clearly looking like a battle field. Empty coffee cans were strewing the ground next to half eaten instant noodles cups. Bunch of photos and what seemed to be case's reports were covering the walls and every corner of the table. He had linked some of them with red cord and even had written all over them. I froze, watching him pouring himself another mug of coffee before he started talking.

"You know I keep wondering why they did that. They've never done it before, I looked at every case the CCG had ever worked on in the area and nothing can be compared to this.

"Kô" I called softly, looking him in the eye.

"They've kidnapped 4 agents until now, and then, they did this. They wanted us to find her for a reason." He continued, ignoring me, stumbling around nervously. "I thought about it and turned it in my head in every possible angle and last night I came up with that conclusion. This is not a case of kidnapping, this is a war declaration. It's not a vendetta against the agent who were taken, but against all the CCG. That's why they made this next to the main office. They want to know they're coming after us."

"Kô", I called once again, getting closer to him.

"They are spotting lower rank agent as they are more vulnerable, and they have the guts to throw it at our face"

"Kô, you…"

"I have to warn them and tell them to pair newbies with more experimented agents" He said, ignoring me once again, looking at me with crazy eyes. Seeing that no word would reach out to him, I made what my guts told me to do and walked through the room to take him in my arms.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry" We stood there quietly, and It took some time before he finally returned my embrace, crying his eyes out.

"hush, it's all gonna be okay, I whispered, caressing his hair, It's okay, I'm here now. You don't have to go through all this alone."

"She… was… so kind… so committed…" he said, hiccupping uncontrollably. It was heart braking to see him like this. And it took me a lot of my strength to not cry also.

"I know… hush, It's okay. You've got this." I soothed him, keeping patting his head. After a moment like this, he eventually stopped crying and I led him towards the couch where he kept silently seated until finally falling asleep. Not knowing what to do, I covered him with a blanket, and decided on cleaning a bit. I collected all the rubbish and opened the window to let some fresh air in. Once done, I opened the fridge and took some veggies that were not rotten yet, to make a noodle soup that I served in a large bowl and brought into the livingroom. Kô was still asleep, drained by all those days nibbling at the case, and I decided to call Itori to ask her for another day off. To my surprise, she announced me she wanted to close the bar for the next 3 days anyway, and I could take all the time I wanted. Thankful to the odds for those unexpected holydays, I hanged up and went sitting next to Kô.

"Hey, I called, shaking his shoulder softly, Time to wake up, you need to eat something." He opened his eyes and blinked a couple of time before sitting up, yawning.

"Hey, he said back, running a hand across his face, how long have I been asleep?"

"a bit less than 5hours, I answered calmly. I made some soup and I cleaned up a bit."

"Oh, he said looking at the bowl, thanks… you shouldn't have done that… what time is it?"

"nearly 8"

"Oh my god, your work…"He exclaimed, looking at me with worried eyes.

"It's okay the bar is closed I don't have to work for the next three days."

"but you-"

"but nothing. I'm here for you and I won't going anywhere unless you kick me out, so stop being a crybaby and eat while I run you a bath."

"I don't know what to say…"

"Then don't say anything. There's no need to." He started eating while I made my way to the bathroom. I was feeling so sorry for him… when I was back he had put the empty bowl in the sink and thrown his smelly clothes in the laundry basket, to wear a loose bathrobe. Even in that miserable state, he was sexy. I felt a bit guilty to think that way in those circumstances, but… he really was a handsome man. I watched him vanishing into the bathroom, wondering what it would feel to have a bath with him, and poured myself a glass of fresh water before closing the window. The night had fallen, and it had started to become chilly. He came out about 40minutes later, all neat and seeming much more relaxed.

"I really want you to know how much I appreciate it, he said grabbing my hand once we sat back on the couch. I know I have been keeping some distance those last weeks and I'm sorry."

"It's okay, you don't need to apologize"

"Maybe I don't need to, but I want to. Truth is, I was feeling guilty for I used our feelings to get some information out of you… but even if our first kiss wasn't totally genuine, my feelings always were. And I want you to know it… even if telling this also means I lose your trust… I don't wanna lie to you… " he said looking down.

I could have play the offended, but To be honest, deep down inside me I had considered the idea of it been a little fake. I always had trust issues when it comes to relationships, and "genuine" is a word I don't use very often. Moreover, I wasn't really the one who could talk, so even if a part of me was a little pissed, I was also not hypocrite enough to make him the big bad liar of the story.

"It's okay. Sometimes people do things they regret with the best intention. That doesn't make them be bad people, nor it change their true feelings."

"You're not mad?", he asked doubtfully.

"I am…disappointed. But not enough to hold a grudge. Let's say I know you had your reasons, and even if it doesn't make me happy, I respect that."

"Akane… I've waited for some time to tell you this but I… -

I didn't let him finish. In half a second, I grabbed his face between my hands and kissed him. A long, full mouth kiss. First taken aback, he then returned my kiss passionately, igniting a fire under my skin. It had been a very long time since I slept with someone and all my body was craving for being touched. He ran his hand through my hair and nibbled at my ear, making me moan softly. In a soft motion, I opened his robe, running a hand on his firm chest while he pulled me by my waist, making me straddle him. I kissed him once more, and he started opening the buttons of my blouse one by one, taking the time to feel my every curve under his hands. I leaned backward, pressing my body against his palms, silently begging for him to touch me more and I closed my eyes.

"Let me take you… in the depth of hell" at the sound of the voice, I suddenly opened my eyes and sat up, only to face an Uta in all its naked glory, who was grabbing my neck by a firm grip. After some seconds running his left hand down my belly, he slipped it under my panties and plunged his intense gaze into mine, pulling my shivering body towards him.

"I'm gonna devour you…"

I woke up on the couch, out of breath and covered in sweat. Still under the shock I turned my head and looked all around me, to see I was still in Kô's apartment, and he was asleep in his robe next to me. Just to make sure, I ran both my hands on my chest, feeling the soft material of my silk blouse was still on. I sighed. I really need a fuck., I thought, getting up and making my way to the kitchen where I poured myself another glass of water. After we kissed I had told Kô that I didn't want to hear what he was about to say in those circumstances. Which was true. He went through a lot and hadn't be very himself those past days, so him telling me he loves me could be him simply being vulnerable and in need of some shoulder to rely on. He respected that and after a while watching the TV, we fell asleep together, that was it. Still too bothered for going back to sleep, I walked towards the wall where he had put all his investigation work. I was looking through the different documents and photographs, when my eyes stopped on what seemed to be the one of Akira's body. I felt my eyes widen while I covered my mouth. It was awful. She had been suspended on a sort of cross, her head resting on her chest. The photograph had been taken from a lower point of view and I could see her messy and dirty blond hair dangle down around her face. Her eyes had been pulled off her sockets bathing her cheeks in brown dry blood, and I saw her mouth had been widen from one ear to the other by a sharp blade and then sewed in an eternal smile by red stitches. Tied on the horizontal part of the cross with a rope, he arms had been cut in several places and each one of her fingers had been broken and twisted in a weird vertical angle just like the feathers of a bird's open wings.

Dove's wings, I thought. Another photograph taken from behind, was showing her rib cage had been separated from her spine on both sides and torn apart as a support for her bloody lungs. It was surgical. It was horrible, atrocious, even. But I couldn't get my eyes off it. The whole thing was twisted and messy and not neatly achieved, but in a way, had its own beauty. I kept looking at her face for a while. If it had been neater it would certainly have reminded me of …Uta's art. It felt like by standing on that cross, she was wearing the Gloomy, ugly and…beautiful mask of death. I quickly looked through the autopsy report Kô had hung beside it and found out that every single injury had been made ante mortem. Which also meant she had felt everything. My stomach suddenly flipped as my mind was sneakily trying to picture the whole process. Runing both hands on my face, I tried to chase it from my head to focus on the logic behind it. Kô had looked through ancient cases about Ghoul's attacks targeting the CCG and apparently found some common point with one called "the witch hunt". I read through the report. Apparently 8 years ago the CCG had organized an eradication campaign against ghoul to definitively win the first and the 2nd ward, which had caused the death of numerous ghouls including whole families. At the time, ghouls were attacking small offices and the leader of the perpetrators had been localized in the 2nd ward. Ko had also spent lot of time trying to find the common point between the kidnapped agents, but without finding any solid link except they all were below the rank of special assistant. His work was remarkably thorough, and is conclusion made sense, but I couldn't help myself for thinking something was off. A missing piece, a shadow spot that required to be enlighten. If it really was a war declaration, which actually could have been possible, then why kidnapping only four agents? Apparently, nobody had been reported missing apart of those four and among them, only Akira's body had been found. Not exposing the bodies, nor even letting any rest of them was letting some hope they were still alive which was in total contradiction with that show-off staging. Besides, taking revenge for numerous ghoul's death with only four agents was really not credible. Moreover, all those injuries could have been made post mortem with the exact same visual result so what's the point in torturing her? And once again, if the ultimate goal was to warn the CCG, why not torturing and exposing all of them? I kept thinking about it, taking a sip of cold water. There were two reason we can torture someone for: 1 pure sadism 2. Information seeking. The fact it was a ghoul tends to make us think it's the first option. But what if we were wrong, and it was actually the second one? That would mean only the staging had been thought in a sadistic way and not as a warning, but maybe rather as a decoy. Someone wanted all the eyes of the CCG on the same spot and wanted them really pissed for a reason. But why precisely there? And where were the other agents? Taking another sip of water, I let my eyes following another red string to land on some photograph of ghouls being arrested while wearing a mask, just above a business card and a huge question mark. "Hysy ArtMask studio", I read whispering. I slowly ran my hand on the soft piece of paper.

"_Why do my thoughts always bring me back to you?_"


	18. Chapter 17 : About Strategies

17.** STRATEGIES**

**Akane pov **

We both woke up the next morning with heavy eyes and crooked back, and after having a strong cup of black coffee, I told Kô about my theory. To my surprise, he listened attentively without ever interrupting, seemingly deep in thoughts. Apparently, a good sleep and a proper meal had given him his mind back.

"I thought it was a war declaration, he said, and you, think it's a decoy…actually both make sense, and it seems pretty hard to tell who's right."

"Actually, If you don't mind I would like to go once again through the agents files. I think you are right about there must be a common point, and I know you've searched thoroughly but maybe you've missed something. Why don't you look at it again now that you've got your head clearer?" I suggested.

"You know I shouldn't even show you this."

"And I know that you know technically you shouldn't be looking at this either."

"Okay, let's do this together, he said. We're gonna need more coffee."

After something like 3 hours scanning every aspect of their life, Kô suddenly stood up, yelling. "THAT'S IT!"

"What? What have you found?"

"I missed it because I looked for a case they could have work on together or not, but I haven't paid any attention at the place they had worked in. Most of them had worked at least once for the main office in Chiyoda, where we found Akira's body. But absolutely all of them had worked for the 13th. I haven't notice it until now, because they never worked in it at the same time." he was now walking from a point to another, going back and forth, deep in his own mind. "A war declaration, or a decoy, he mumbled, keeping stomping around, before he finally stopped, looking at me with wide eyes. What if it was both?"

"What do you mean, both?" I frowned, genuinely intrigued.

"What if they indeed were plotting some attack against us, but rather than targeting random agents, they were targeting our office?"

"The 13th office? What makes you say that?"

"You were right saying you don't get revenge for a slaughter by only killing 4 agents. I also think you are right about the torture, and as all those agents had worked there at least once, there had to be one of them knowing a weak spot of the building, which is an information it's worth torturing someone for. Besides…, he stopped, looking around and grabbing the newspaper.

"Besides?" I urged him to continue his explanation.

"There will be an event at the 13th office Saturday evening, he said showing me an article written about a week ago. The mayor had decided to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the day CCG had taken control of the 13th ward, offering some safety to his residents. It's a communication bullshit you know, he just wanna show off to win the elections. But still, all the top agents, and the politicians will be there, and It feels like the perfect theatre for a revenge."

"sounds like we found our missing piece", I said smiling. I watched him disappear in the bathroom, before he got back shaved, wearing a clean suit.

"I gotta go, we need to get ourselves ready." He said leaning on me to give a peck on my lips. "Close the door when you leave."

Once he was gone, I took my face between my hands and sighed. I was tired, sweaty, and completely lost in my feelings. We kissed and almost made love the past night before I changed my mind, and now he just left me in his apartment, kissing me like it was the most natural things to do. _Does that mean we were dating_?

**Uta pov**

I was achieving my last piece, when Itori dropped in.

"Hey, she greeted, joining me on my workshop, and sitting on the table. Nice one and always a pleasure to see you, but you know I'm a busy woman and I don't like being interrupted in the middle of a meal so, be quick, why did you call me?"

"Meal? To me it sounded more like fuck, I said chuckling"

"Well, both actually, even if it's hard to say which came first." She said back, tilting his head and passing her tongue on her lips.

"Eto called me last night. Apparently, the CCG will organize an event in their 13th office on Saturday." I said bluntly.

"Let me guess, she wanna kick in the nest?"

"That's what I thought, but not really. She postponed the Attack of the Colchea to Saturday. All dove's elite will be on the 13th already, which means we have a diversion, and all we need to do is making them stay there to buy some time."

"So, Fake attack, on the 13th while we drain the colchea from juicy SS ghouls uh? pretty smart.", she admitted.

"Wow, complimenting another girl and not about her ass, that's pretty unusual of you", I ironically commented.

"screw you. And I never said I didn't like her ass." She said, jumping off the table, making her way to the door. "You could have told that me over the phone by the way, so why making me come all the way here?"

"hmmm I missed you"

"Bullshit."

"aww that's mean. Well, now you mentioned it I was curious about something. Have you told anything about me to Akane? Because when she came paying for her masks, she was moody and colder than ice to me."

"Of course, I did. The very day I told you I didn't want you to mess with her, I texted her telling that you were not interested"

"Which you'd never had done if she hadn't asked for it, in the first place. Which means She is interested in me.", I deduced, smirking. "Anyway, I thought I told you to mind your own business." I added.

"Technically, you told me to not order **you** around. You never told I couldn't tell **her** whatever I wanted."

"You psychotic twisted minx…" I said, smiling.

"Yes I am. And please don't pretend you don't like that about me." She said, sticking her curvy body to mine.

"I don't like it. I said, licking seductively at her bottom lip before going back to my chair. Just kidding". I knew that she couldn't resist me too long, just as I couldn't resist her either. She and I have known each other for many years now and we were like the two faces of the same coin. We both like playing, hunting, eating, fucking… and we were both twisted and not interested in relationships, well… until now. We had slept together time to time and today, it seemed we had another common ground about our new little human friend. was I a player? Yes. But Honestly, even if it was hard to admit, I had started to develop a real interest in that girl. She had become a little more than a mere toy I'd just like to play with. We were… different, but somehow, alike. Those feelings had been bothering me since that dance I stole from her at the party. I wanted to take her, to devour her in every possible way, and have her just for myself, like hidden treasure I'd bath in. And I really was having a hard time holding back at every one of our encounters.

**Kô's pov**

When I joined the office, Shinohara was waiting for me, a cup of coffee in his hand. Seeing his tired face, he must had some sleep to catch on too. Didn't want to lose anymore time, I called everybody for a meeting in the war room where I explained my theory to skeptical and exhausted agents. I know Shinohara was supposed to suspend me for I've been looking at the case, but if wasn't official, he knew my circumstances and truth was I had much more to bring on the table than they had, so somehow, they listened. They asked a few questions about how I've found this and that, but they all agreed on it was making sense. After a little brake Shinohara and I went on to the Archives searching for the plans of the 13th office.

"How're you feeling?" He asked.

"I won't say I'm fine, but I hold on, you know, keep myself busy. It helps to have a goal."

He just nodded, following me between the alleys of old cases boxes and records to reach a little room ony accessable by special agents, containing all the confidential information about the Office we had.

Bringing up the material we founded back in the room, I used the white board to hang the plans, and we started talking strategy.

The 13th office wasn't a very tall building, but it was large enough to cover 3 blocks. The main entrance was facing a little paved court circled by a white concrete enclosure under footage. The entrance itself was like a round bubble of bulletproof glass which was also useful against Ghoul's Kakuho. The whole thing was a jewel of modern architecture, ordered and constructed by the 100th mayor after ghouls had revealed themselves to the world, more than 160years ago. The installation was even safer than the main office, but some parts of the building were not well covered by the footage and thanks to the several earthquakes, the old underground tunnels below it had been damaged, causing the foundations to weaken and becoming potentially breakable, so we had to make sure every corner of it, from ground to the ceiling was well guarded. I didn't know if they would break in by the main entrance with some spectacular explosive entry, or if they'd rather sneak inside discreetly for having us one by one and break through our lines before making their move. Either way, we had to be very careful and be sure not to neglect anything.

"We're gonna put some of the men here, I said pointing at the roof tops of two higher building around, as we can see them coming if they chose a frontal approach." Guys nodded and took notes.

"What about some of them keeping civilian outfit as we can watch from the streets behind the building we can't see from there", suggested Miyuki Mikage, a 1st rank Inspector of said office.

"Sounds good to me, approved Shinohara."

"I'll wait inside the building. Said Jûzo, sucking at his strawberry lollipop. I suggest all noob agent out for we can trap sneaky ghouls inside with the elite and guide them were we want." He suggested with an excited smile before adding for himself, They want to come playing in our room right? So, let's play bloody, ne Rei." Everybody seemed to agree with that plan, and so did I. After deciding on which side had to be guarded and how, we decided the Mayor and his delegation would make his speech from the nearby building, escorted by 5 1st rank inspectors, and he would appear in front of the office using a hologram. After we had set up the las details, we decided to call it a day and I made my way home, wondering If Akane had left or if she was waiting for me. _It wouldn't be bad having her sticking around for a while, _I thought._ If she does, would that mean we are dating?_

**Uta's pov**

"Eto, what are you doing here, I wasn't expecting seeing you before Saturday." I said, watching her cat-walking towards the counter.

"Well, I was passing by, and you know…. Wanted to see your pretty face"

"Like I'd buy that, get to the point before I take you…seriously", I said chuckling. She smiled and took a seat on the stool. Well, actually, you're right. I have another little favor to ask…"

"Hmm?"

"I Would like to take advantage of the smoke screen in the 13th to retrieve something from their archives…"

"Oh, now let me guess, you want me to make it happen…"

"I love it when you sneak in my mind… It makes me hot."

"Dove's blood makes you hot, I corrected, but I'm not sure I wanna die just for your eyes, Eto even if I love them…"

"come on, it will be fun we both know how you like doing crazy stuffs… even if I've known you wilder before. besides, I never said that favor was for free…"

"And what do I get in return?"

"I'll go in the third for you… and make that woman out."

My blood froze. _How many years had it been… since that promise she made? What would happen if she returned now?_ I instinctively touched my neck.

"Even if so, I can't guarantee I will find what you want."

"I know. But let say I'll do that as a friend anyway."

I looked at her for a long moment, thinking.

"Okay, let's say I won't ask about how you learnt about her. I'm in. But Itori and Sota will take my part of the job at the prison. And you'll entrust your guys to her. I won't drag them down there with me"

"Fair enough. Don't worry about the organization, Kaneki is already on it, focus on the archives. Oh, and this must remain our secret."

"Fine. See you on Saturday."

After she was gone, I poured myself a glass of bourbon, and made my way to the workshop, where I let me fall on the red velvet armchair, closing my eyes. I stood like this for a while, taking sips of the hot beverage and listening to the fading sounds of the street behind the window. Then, I decided to call Itori.

**Itori's pov**

I was putting out a fresh human thigh from the fridge, when I got a call from Uta.

"Hello, U-chan?"

"Yeah…"

"What's going on?"

"Plans had changed. I'm going to the 13th, I'll let you n charge at the prison."

"What?, Why?" I asked, genuinely surprised. Everybody knows Uta is a nice strategist, It was stupid to send him setting a smokescreen when the serious matter was somewhere else.

"Eto asked me to."

"Yes and as we all know you always do as you are told, I said ironically. Since when the mad wild wolf had turned into a puppy?"

"I have something to go there, and for some reasons I agree on it, so I won't justify myself. And even if we're not going there being the clowns, I'm still your superior, so mind your tongue."

"Okay mister grumpy that was humor, but you seem having lost that too. What's the matter, what does she need you for there? I'm just worried. You know I don't like her, nor Aogiri. It's full of hypocrites"

"Just for leading the strategy down there and make sure nobody will come bite at your ass."

"Well…if you say so… I won't bother you again about this, but just for the record, I don't like it."

"I know." _neither do I,_ I hung up, and closed my eyes once again.


	19. Chapter 18 : Kicking the Nest

18\. KICKING THE NEST

**Akane pov**

I hadn't wait for Kô to be back before going. First of all, because I thought he might need to rest and keeping his forces for Saturday's operations and then, because I wasn't sure I really wanted to know if we were dating. The mere thought was sending butterflies in my belly but I didn't know what to think about it. I don't feel emotions the way other people do. It takes time for it to sink in, and even more for me to understand and accept them. I hadn't had many relations before. I mean, serious ones. I never was the self-confident type and after a disastrous first relation as a teen-ager, I started to have some serious trust issues. I had been dating a guy for about 2 years after high school, and even made some plans together but my commitment to my studies had thrown that to waste. After lots of complaints, he had finally dumped me for someone who was more dedicated to him. I was sad and I missed him for a while, before finally realizing that we had turned in friends more than lovers. The third relation I had was with someone of my art class. Someone as committed to his art that I was to my studies, so I thought it could make a good match and… well, I always had a thing for artists. Sex was awesome, but in the end, I wasn't really in "couple mode". So, after ending it, I decided to stay alone for some time, and focus on my future career. That's all my pathetic love-resume : A prick, an almost best friend, and a time killer. And as long as I remember, I had never fallen head over the heels for anyone. That's why, I couldn't help myself for being a little scared about starting a new relationship, especially with someone who was so important to me. Kô was a handsome, smart, and so very honest man, what would happen if I found another way to screw up again and in addition to losing a lover, I also lost a friend? What if things got awkward after or if I hurt him? All those questions were bothering me. I didn't know if I was ready, and I really needed some friendly advice, so, being told by Itori she would close the bar until Sunday, I had called Ran and had invited her to have a drink in a fancy Cocktail bar. An invitation she had gladly accepted. So here I was, staring at my reflection in the mirror, trying to figure out what to wear. Fair colors were making my complexion look lighter and was giving me good looks, so I decided on a white above-the-knee backless lace dress with a V-neck and cute three-quarter sleeves, completed by a pair of black high-heel , and a leather perfecto. I also wore a darker makeup than the usual, applying a dark red smoky eyeshadow that was making my eyes stand out a lot, and a light touch of rosy blush. I hated wearing any kind of lipstick and I didn't want to look any vulgar, so lip balm it was.

After a closer look checking that I had well covered my birth mark, I grabbed my purse and went out for my Girl's night. The Kyu yasui Bar was on the west part of the 3rd, so I took the Yamanote line from Shinjuku station, got off at Omotesandô, and walked about 12minutes before pushing its black door. The building itself was an eyesore, but the interior of the Bar was awesome. The dim lit narrow space mostly occupied by a very long and large wooden counter was enhanced by the elegant shelves full of alcohol bottles behind it. In its front, about 15 High stools were lined up, all occupied by lonesome salarymen, or afterwork drinking colleagues. The rest of the space was occupied by About 10 high small dark tables, and a lounge corner in the back. I spotted Ran at the third table on the right and greeted her with a wave. She nearly jumped on my neck when she saw me.

"AAAw I'm so happy you invited me!", she said, smiling. "I have so much to tell you."

"Can't wait to hear. How are you?"

"I do have a lot to tell, but before that I believe you have something to tell me, don't you?" She said with a mischievous smile.

Seeing I was a bit lost, she rolled her eyes, smiling.

"The party, she exclaimed."

We got interrupted by the waitress, who came to our table, smiling.

"Welcome to the kyu Yasui, what would you like to drink?"

"A Singapore Sling, please", I said, before Ran ordered another white Russian.

"What about that?"

"You're kidding me, right? First you come with a fucking Ghoul-fighter Adonis that every woman in the room was staring at, and second, a mysterious stranger takes you to the most mesmerizing Waltz I've ever seen. So, still don't know what I'm talking about?"

"Well, about Kô… we kinda got closer since the party, I started hesitantly, he nearly confessed his feelings to me, we kissed and almost slept together, but I changed my mind. I didn't want it to be comforting sex."

"Why comforting?", she asked, surprised.

"He just lost his work partner"

"Oh… wow. So are you together now or…"

"Maybe? That is the problem, I don't know what we are, and I think I might be afraid to find out."

"Why?"

"I'm not good with relationships."

"Well, maybe you haven't been with the right person yet", she said.

The waitress came back with our orders, and I took a sip, thinking about Kô. Tonight, was the night the Mayor would make his speech, and also the night ghouls would strike. Please be safe…I thought, feeling my heart tighten.

Kô pov

« Where's Jûzo ? » I asked through the talkie-walkie, walking fast down the North corridor.

"I'm in the main quarter, Kô." Said Jûzo back, his voice deformed by the speaker.

According to the plan, the mayor had been escorted under good guard to the next building and the hologram generator had been set up behind the podium. In about twenty minutes he'll deliver his speech for all Tokyo to hear, and until then we must be ready to face whatever was up to come. Nervous, I was checking all possible access to the building at its every level, maintaining the communication with all teams. Jûzo will be waiting for any ghoul who'd manage to sneak inside the building, in the underground part which was also our training room. Situated just above the broken subway tunnel, the large space was expected to be targeted for an incursion, and had been made to fight in, except this time would be bloodier, I thought, making my way to the exterior. Shinohara, would be outside, acting like everything was normal, but being ready to intercept anything that would come to the main door.

Some low rank teams will be standing on the nearby building's roof tops, ready to signal any approach of the enemy, and finally, I myself will be amongst the plainclothes agents, waiting for any suspicious move in the west side street. As my body was tense by the pressure, all my senses were on the lookout for the slightest sign to occur, fearing we might miss it and let them in. We were well-prepared and more than ready for this, but somehow my nerves wouldn't let me relax. Ten minutes left, I thought, checking at my watch. After talking one last time to everyone, I headed up to the street. Some cold sweat had made its way down my spine, damping my shirt and making me feel uneasy. I was not a coward. But I've learnt through years of service, that strategy and theory rarely match the reality. And If I didn't mind getting hurt doing my job, I wanted to protect this town. The mayor, my colleagues, and people out there. I wasn't ready to see another Akira, nor I was ready to let the culprit slip through my fingers. I wasn't afraid of ghouls being strong, I was afraid we might be not strong enough. And I wanted them dead. Five minutes. I thought about Akane, the way she smiles, the way she frowns when she's thinking about something, the way she had stay awake all night to help me solving the case. Three minutes, I thought, eyes on my watch, trying to clear my thoughts and focus. Tic toc, tic toc. At 7.30pm sharp, the Mayor's deep voice rose up in the air, amplified by the larges speakers all around the forecourt.

"_Dear citizen of Tokyo, the day you made me the mayor of this town was also the day I made myself a promise. I promised myself that I'll do everything possible, or even impossible to keep you safe. And since that day, I've been committed to that vow. When ghouls appeared more than 160 years ago, humanity had encountered its first real predator. We had dark days, we still have, and I believe there are still some yet to come. But since they had appeared, we created the CCG, found a way to fight back and conquered our town back ward by ward. And since I was elected (…)"_

Journalists had gathered in the court, and I could hear the sounds of them shooting photos. I wasn't really paying attention to the speech, to busy looking around nervously.

"Jûzo, anything to signal down there?" I asked, releasing the speaker button.

"Clear" Said the kid, popping one of his eternal lollipop out of his mouth. The voice of the mayor became louder, as he was now exclaiming passionately.

" _I don't pretend I'll make it tomorrow, or even in ten years. But what I can promise to you, is that I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe by giving more founds to the CCG, during the time I am still here. Let's think about a world free from ghoul's threat, where we could all be free from our fears and see our children growing in a peaceful town. Let's think about it, and make it happen together."_

I then heard the clapping, and the journalists starting their concert of questions. I was starting to slowly relax, when a huge explosion echoed from the East side of the building.

"There's move hear, I'll finally get to chop off some heads!" said Jûzo, laughing.

I then tried to reach the East side team, but no one would answer. The journalist alongside the people gathered behind the barriers in the forecourt were yelling and Shinohara's team started to help the evacuation. Another explosion from the north side echoed. "Amon, it's the North roof team, there was a big explosion and smoke is going up along the wall, but we hadn't seen any suspect move in the streets."

"Do you see anything now?"

"Negative, the smoke's too thick."

"Copy. It might be a diversion, so please stay up there and report everything you see or hear."

"Copy."

It had to be some diversion for the underground thing, I thought, making my way to the North side to make sure.

**Uta pov**

I couldn't help myself for laughing when I saw the smoke escalading the north façade of the building. Well, that was literally a smoke screen, I thought, escalading the wall in swift motions. I reached the top quite fast, grinning at the fact I was right. I knew the town well enough to know about the tunnels, and It wasn't so incredible to guess they'd know about it too. I imagined which strategy I'd use to protect the place. I didn't know the inside of the building very well apart from the dated plans Eto managed to get somewhere, but I've been prospecting the outlines and access some days before, and I had figured out that the easiest breakthrough point was the ventilation tunnels leading to the roof. As I myself had chosen to place some guys on roof tops around the colchea to watch the area, I could easily picture the CCG doing the same here, with or without expecting anything to happen. After all, there was the Mayor. I then just thought the best way to reach there without being seen, was to be covered by smoke and so, we made that happen.

"Kaneki, how is it going?" I asked, pressing a finger on the head-phone.

"Not smoothly, we've been expected" he responded, his voice nearly covered by the raging fight. "We are in though."

"That's pleasant to hear", I said kicking the wire bars open and slipping my head inside, amused by the metallic echo of my voice. "I'm in too, Keep in touch, see you down there." I said entering the tunnel head first. Getting in was the easy part. Now I had to find my way through that maze to reach the archives room which was 10 floors below, in the underground part. We decided that Kaneki would enter first and keep the doves busy while I sneak inside and do whatever Eto sent me to do. I wasn't surprise to find a well-guarded place, but more wondering about how well-prepared they were. It was kinda frustrating to be stuck there while everybody had fun, but still amusing to beat the dove in mind-game. I had reached the 4th floor when hearing voices, I turned left. Ten seconds later, I had reached a large room with glass, invaded by screens, that I could distinguish through the wire. Certainly, the control room, I thought.

"They don't know what awaits them", said a voice chuckling.

"serve them right!", spat a feminine voice. "If they think we would let them go away with it, they are badly mistaken." I saw her reddish hair while she stepped forward to take a closer look the screen showing Kaneki fighting. Its pale light was giving her hair an orange halo that was reminding of the sunset. "It will come soon."

"The kid was so excited he was damn glowing", said the man. "I know he's good and you are a total fan, but I'll tell you this: Suzuya Jûzo gives me the creep."

**Juzo pov **

"They entered by here, I said with an amused voice, just like Amon said they would" I smiled. It was so hard to endure the excitement. We wanted to fight so bad It was hurting. "But we have to wait, Rei, we have to wait until they reach us". I'd said Kô I wanted to wait for them inside the building, in our training room, but he said It wouldn't be smart. According to him we had to send a squad that could both kill some of them and lurk the weaken ones up to me while another squad would come by the tube tunnel just like them, closing any retreat. Then, I'll slaughter them all inside the very core of the building and they couldn't escape. I grinned to this idea, caressing the blade of my scythe. I could hear the rumbling sound of the fight getting closer, and closer, and my excitement getting higher and higher.

Then, finally they came. I was almost disappointed to see there was only 4 of them. They turned the corner of the corridor leading here and I could hear their step getting closer. Apparently 2 of my colleagues had survived and managed to follow them. I was casually sitting on a chair when they barged into the high ceiling room, a man wearing a latex mask inspired by Frankenstein, first. A quick look told me he was the only piece worth it, so I stood up, gripping my scythe, licking my bottom lips. His mask showing a wide twisted smile, he didn't wait to go after me. And I loved it. Overwhelmed by joy, I watched his RC cells giving life to a centipede like Kakuhô which unfurled and darted its spikes at me.

"The one-eyed ghoul coming just for our modest office, I'm honored", I said ironically.

"Get out of the way, kid, I don't wanna hurt you", he said, without I could tell if he was joking.

"HA! I could almost say the same, beast, but I do wanna hurt you sooo baaad I'm aching." I said laughing, jumping forward. My Scythe sliced the air and cut through his left arm, opening the skin as he moved swiftly to dodge it.

"Nice reflex, I said, happy to see someone would resist my blade a little while for a change, I'm said to be fast"

"Well, If you really want this…"

In a quick motion he jumped on the wall with agility, throwing his sharp tail at my face. It was powerful, and fast, but I could easily see through his lack of resolution.

"Come on, you can do better, can't you. I don't want a half-hearted win", I whined, dodging it with ease. I saw him taking support on the wall and propelling himself, cutting deep my right leg as he landed on the floor behind me. I looked at the blood leaking down my calf and burst into laugh. Pain means nothing to me.

"III nee, you're starting to have fun, don't you?" I said joyfully watching his features twisted with pain. I grinned, as I knew I had reached my aim.

"You see, I said, showing three of my scorpions quinques, I also have some cards in my sleeves."

"But I'll heal faster than you!", he shouted throwing his tail after me one more time. This time I had jumped too late and one of its spike penetrated my thigh just above the femoral artery, making me fall to the ground. But it didn't take long for me to get back up on my feet and blocked another attack with my Scythe.

"Yes, you do heal, I said playfully, but will you have enough time before I teare you apart?" I said throwing another bunch of knifes at him. I laughed again, keeping throwing the 56 versions of my quink, following his moves as he jumped from a spot to another, attacking me from afar. His moves were swift and so were mine. I was having so much fun I could feel my blood rushing through my veins.

**Uta pov**

Suzuya Jûzo…huh, I had heard this name before. One of the rising stars of the CCG, fighting with a Scythe, If I remember well. Never had a fight with him, but I was looking forward encountering him one day.

Not wanting Kaneki's diversion to go to waste, I made my way back to the main tunnel and resumed the journey. It took 20 more minutes to reach the good floor, and 10 more to find the archives room. The fight was now above my head. Kaneki's had made It to the Second floor and according to the sounds, the fight had reached another level of violence and all my body was itching to join in. The archives room was not huge, but large enough to contain half a basketball ground. A dozen of large shelves full of boxes were standing against the walls, and even more of them were standing in the middle of the room, making four lines from extremity to another. But I presumed what I came to retrieve was in the back room. I kicked the door open, and entered, scanning the room. Eto briefly explained she was looking for her father's work and some report about a fifth section I never heard about. Knowing the man, she said, the documents must have been classified by years, and put in a safe somewhere. I didn't know what I was looking for exactly, so It took me some time combing through all the shelves and drawers until I finally found it. Hidden behind the CCG's founder's portrait, a thick biometric safe was containing a hard drive and a few paper files. Breaking through the glass using my kakuhô, I didn't bother to look through everything before taking it all and making my way to the underground tunnels. If they ever suspected someone using it to go in, I doubted they'd find time to watch what's going out . Moreover, this part of the building was free from cameras and they were all busy with the fight upstairs. I assumed an exit wouldn't be hard to find.

**akane pov**

"why don't you try to tell me what you feel for him?" Said Ran taking a long gulp from her White Russian

"It's… I don't know. He is sexy… and I feel protected and cared about, when he's around."

"That's a good thing! Damsel in distress always need a Knight!"

"Yeah… but…"

"But?"

"I can't help myself for thinking he might judge me if I had other opinions than his…"

"Other opinions? Like what, about politics, monogamy? She asked, jokingly, because that would be a little-"

"About ghouls, I interrupted."

She coughed, putting both hands on her mouth to prevent any liquid to escape, and took some time to swallow down before darting her eyes at me.

"What sort of opinion can you possibly have about ghouls that might not fit his?"

"I… let's say I'm not a fan of the "kill them all" concept, I explained briefly.

"But you were attacked, right?"

"I know, can we please not talk about this? You are my friend I don't feel like having this debate right now."

"Well…okay… " she said, pouting. I knew too well where this conversation was leading, and didn't want to ruin the mood, I explained a bit more about Kô. "I like when we kiss… It's warm, and… exciting. But, I don't feel transported either."

"Huh? Well, in that case, maybe you are the problem. You don't give up the control you have over your emotions because you don't wanna feel helpless, so you refrain it." She said, nibbling absentmindedly her straw.

"Maybe…" She could be right, it made sense. Maybe I should try to let go a bit more, I thought, checking out the waitress from afar.

"And what about that dance?" Asked Ran, her big curious eyes into mine as I turned facing her.

"Oh not again with that…"

"You know I won't give up until you tell me" She said teasingly.

I sighed. "I barely know him."

"aaaaah I knew you did !"

"Yeah, yeah. He is the one who made the masks Kô and I were wearing, and he's also a close friend of my boss."

"How you two have met?"

"At the Helter's, I said, even if we can't really call that "meeting someone". We hadn't exchanged a word. The fist time I talked to him was when I came ordering that mask for the party."

"Oh so, it's a reasonable statement to say that I've made this happen, right?" Ran said, giggling.

"Ha, yeah guess you may say so."

"Aaand ?"

"And nothing. I know from Itori that he's not interested."

"Aaw so you asked?! I knew it!" she exclaimed victoriously, gesturing the waitress to give her glass of her medicine.

""No…not really, it's just… he kept hitting on me, making all those flirtacious talk so… but in the end, he was just having fun playing with me."

"Am I wrong saying I hear some disappointment in your voice?"

"Yes, you are. I don't care at all." I said, gulping the cold beverage by the straw like I was in a hurry.

"Keep telling you that. Ran said, smiling at my death stare. For what it's worth, it didn't seem like he was playing the other night."

"I don't see why Itory would have lied."

"Well, was she keen on seeing you two together? You said he was her friend, what if they had some more in their story than friendship?"

"Oh…" I had to admit I hadn't thought about it. But it made sense. I couldn't help myself for feeling jealous at the idea of them together… her body was gorgeous and so was her personality. Was I even visible at her side? I suddenly felt like drinking all the bar and motioned the barman for a full up. It's going to be a long night;


	20. Chapter 19 : Breaking through

_**Author note : Hello everybody :) Dear readers thank you for reading my story and supporting my efforts so far. I hope I'm not losing you with my slopy writing, actions scene is really a first and I'm also trying to add more descriptions for you can set the decorum easier. So I apppologize for releasing my chapters slower. I don't like pushing people to review my work, but even if I do like writing, I don't think much of self appreciations and I would like you to enjoy it, more than anything. So if something sounds off or if you think you can help me improving something by giving me some advices, just know they are more than welcome. Also, Somebody wrote me a very nice review some weeks ago, but unfortunately as they are not registered on the site, I couldn't respond. So if that person still read me, I would like to say it really touched my heart, and I think you have a great comprehension of the story line ;)**_

_**As always, Best regards, A-**_

**19\. ****BREAKING THROUGH**

**Itori pov**

Eto leaded us though the streets, all 4th squads masked and well-prepared. We had to keep quiet and discreet as long as possible. After some time sticking to he shadows, observing, we finally headed to the Bank disguised building that was sheltering the prisoner's entrance. Since it had been built, not many people had managed to escape from the Colchea. And once you had seen its plans, you no longer wondered why. More than 1km square of maze, build for its resident to loose their way, or their mind trying to get out. The two only entrances were the main one, guarded night and day by at least 10 agents in constant communication with the main office, and the one we were about to go through. This one was meant to bring new prisoners in by an underground tunnel from a near by building disguised as a bank office. One of the rare persons having made his way out this hell hole was a ghoul named Satoshi that Eto visited in his hideout. The information he gave us were crucial, as he managed somehow to keep his sanity long enough to draw an exact plan of every corridor based on his exceptional sense of hearing. The drawing itself was gawky but seemed to be very accurate. The only thing Satoshi couldn't tell was were the entrance was. He could say it wasn't the main one as he was walking a long time somwhere he couldn't hear the road, but as he had his face covered and was drugged with an anti RC solution, his other senses were reduced to nearly nothing. That's why Aogiri kidnapped the doves in the first place. The 6 floors building was a banal normalized grey barre like you can see everywhere and was meant to go unnoticed in the area. Of course, the building was under constant watch, so in addition to avoid all the cameras planted at every single corner, we'll also had to kill all the guards before one of them could give the alert. That done, we needed to open the access to the underground passage, sealed by a biometric lock door. No need to say any attempt to break through would trigger the alert, making us riddled by anti-RC bullets shot from an automatic safety mechanism hidden behind the walls. Uta had made sure to bring out all the needed information from those bleeding rags, and thanks god he did. We went through the backdoor using the eye of soon to be dead dove we kept alive for this only purpose and made quietly our way through the different rooms. Everything was dark, but it was not a problem for us, as our eyes were meant to see through darkness as in clear water. In day time, the place was crowded with the "bank" employees and had a normal life. Ghouls were brought by the back door, in bright daylight while ignorant customers would open their account after entering by the main door. But at night, the whole system was taking the watch over using the utmost sophisticated technology. Every single room was closed and required someone to be identified by the system, for being able to pass.

Slowly, and ever so carefully, everybody -me included- was following Eto. The silence was growing heavier at each light step on the tiled floor, and the sound of our breath was deafening. We couldn't mess this up. We had sent our friends to a tough fight for getting that chance, so however impatient or tensed we all were, we had to focus and keep going calmly. as Eto placed the eye before the retinal scan, Another bip allowed us to go further. romm after room, We soon reached the stairs leading to the so-called "ghoul hell". The tension increased again when we went in front of the last door separating us from the tunnel. This one required to be opened by three people at the same time. Eto pulled another eye from a glass pot full of translucent liquid that I assumed to be RC cells solution and handed it to me. The scanners were incrusted in the very frame of the large Iron door, and we had to make sure we'd put the eyes in front of it at the exact same time while a third person would enter a 13 digits code on a keyboard on the back wall. We all hold our breath, waiting for all the three lights to turn green signaling the door was open. Only one red, and we were done for. My heart was hammering my chest as I could feel the tension gripping my every nerve. One green light. The time was stretching out forever turning seconds into hours and I started to chew at my bottom lip, letting the cool air erecting goosebumps on my skin. Second green light. All our heart suspended to that third and last light, we all watched intently as it blinked six long time, before it finally turned green. We all sighed, filling our lungs with the air of relief. A large greenish lighted corridor was now unfurling before our eyes, and we all rushed through it as the time wasn't passing any slower. It took us 15minutes running to reach the prison's core, where an elevator was bringing the prisoners and his escort to the right floor. From the bottom to the top, the first one also known as Hell, was the worst of all. Made for SSS Rank ghouls, each one of its cells were made in electrified Iron from the ground to the ceiling. Ghouls were injected anti-RC cells drugs every day, and every communication from a cell to another was resulting in a week tightly chained to the wall, without any possible to reach anything in the room but the bed.

According to Satoshi, you could hear their cry when the guards would drag them to the experimental zone where inspectors were testing their new weapon on them. The important ones, though, were getting proper meal, no wall-time, but long excruciating torture session meant to push them to reveal some precious information about the faction they had been in, or some other ghoul's identity. They would do it until it breaks or die. Only 5 ghouls were occupying that floor. The second one, was the floor of SS to S rank ghouls. The ghouls were less drugged and were mostly used for medical experimentation. Like below, every prisoner had to be tattooed behind their ear and get a GPS chip implanted in their body for the CCG could track them at any moment. Satoshi had to dug holes in his own flesh for days in order to find it, being careful to not make any sound that could have alerted anyone. He said the deafening silence was only broken by the cries of the mad ones who had turn mental after years being there. He used the opportunity of a huge blackout to make his way out when lots of trackable prisoners tried to escape and were hunted down by the agents. Somehow, he managed to escape, but wasn't the same anymore. I was skeptical about the whole operation, as I couldn't picture how mad ghouls would ever be useful. Even though It was disgusting me and gave me the creeps, I wasn't doing it out of ideology, nor compassion. I was here because Uta asked me to, nothing more, nothing less. The little elevator pursued his long way up to the last floor. The Below S-rank-goul's one. We heard rumors about it from time to time. Apparently, The CCG used them in the past to feed their meat to the ghouls below, but they stopped when they realized it was making them stronger. Now it was quite similar as any other level, except for the accessible side. Less biometric security, less guards, more footage. Regarding to the prisoners themselves, RC cell suppressor was most of the measures. Heavily Drugged Ghouls were nourished enough food to survive at their weakest form and they would be put through psychiatric experimentations. To break a ghoul's mind, it required for its complexity and mechanisms to be known and comprehended. As we made out of the elevator, A large and bright white decorum was spreading before our eyes. Constructed like the shell of a snail, the whole structure was taking its center at the elevator cage, to spread his arms-like corridors like gloomy sunrays. It was all so…white and immaculate, nearly like a hospital. On each side of every corridor we could see, the massive Iron doors of the cells were lining like graves.

"Okay, here we are, started Eto, whispering. We follow the plan. Itori and his men will make their way to the main entrance, keeping an eye on the guards and waiting for my signal to attack. Aoba will take his team up to the control room hacking the footage system, while me and Shôta will set the prisoners free starting from the first and second floor. And then, if I still have some time, I'll try to get lower to the third. When we all are ready, we barge out before they even have the time to call anyone."

"Sounds good to me", I said, nodding to her.

"Let's set our brothers free." Said Eto, her determined emerald eyes looking at ours.

**Kô pov**

"Jûzo, you okay?" I asked, releasing the button. I waited some seconds more, but nothing came. The street were still empty of any ghouls which meant apparently they probably had concentrated their forces down the tunnels. I still could feel something was odd, but not being able to put any name on it, I just went with the flow and entered the building when the metallic voice of Shiohara rose from the speaker.

"Amon, there's some move here, I can't join jûzo for now." I could hear the noise of the fight in the background. They had agreed on rushing inside to trap the ghoul in the building, but the plan had to wait a little more. Making my path through the maze of offices of the east aisle, and walked towards the basement, unsheathing Kura, my Quinque from its case. I appreciated its weight, its coldness under my fingers as I gripped its long shaft. I never considered myself as a hero, and I knew any weapon meant responsibilities to take but I loved it. I wasn't powerless, I could feel the power rushing through my body, strength and determination filling every muscle as I walked to the fight. As long as I was an Inspector, as long as I had that quinque, I felt I could do something to protect the one of us still standing. If killing a ghoul meant giving a father back to his family for another day, then I'd kill thousands of them. I hated the way I felt when Akira died, this insecure feeling of being nothing but a spectator of my own sufferance. No one close to me would die today. I was half way to the elevator that would bring me up to jûzo's team, when he spoke through the talkie, his joyful juvenile voice filled the air like a spring breeze, bouncing on the walls.

"Kô, I've got this, I'm having so much fun, I know you wanna join but get down to the tunnel, I don't need you here.". Relieved hearing the kid was alright, I hesitated a bit before reaching for the closest stairs leading to The training space. I could tell the fight had been rough. Blood had sprayed on the glass and tiled walls and any king of furniture, or electronic devices had been smashed. But the fight wasn't all for our disadvantage. I spotted 1 dead ghoul and one agent. They weren't meant to be stopped there anyway, I thought trying to find the spot they came from. The training room was a vast space, separated in smaller modulable ones that could be easily used for individual or small group training. It was different from the one we had in the main office. More recent, this room was made with white tilt from the ground to the ceiling, except for a glass wall separating the training part from the observation space. Over there, A control console was meant to program all sort of training session using robotic and automatic equipment. Instructors would often stand there, watching their pupil fight and teaching them to face some situation they might encounter as agents. Now the glass wall was seriously impacted, and blood had painted the immaculate walls. Ghouls had managed to go through the thinner part of the ground, where electric cables were dissimulated only by thin iron plates. Bellow my feet, the collapsed tunnel was dark and a cool underground musty wind blew on my face.

"Shinohara, everything alright?" I was having that weird feeling something wasn't right. It wouldn't leave my head since the very moment I saw that smoke. Though we had done everything perfectly, mostly according to the plan, I could feel the atmosphere getting thicker. As if some demon was lurking in the shadows, starring at my moves, preparing to strike. Waiting for Shinohara's response, I Instinctively tighten the grip on Kura.

"Yes, we're almost done here" my former instructor responded in a growl seemingly out of breath. _Meaning they'd soon come here closing the way out before we could finish the ghouls off._ I couldn't hold back a grin. Everything seemed to go smoothly, and Shinohara had obviously been victorious out there. Confident, I was standing above the hole, ready to knock down every ghoul would try running away, when some clattering sound caught my ear. It was discreet, and seemed to echo from far away, but I swore it was there. I froze, darting my eyes at the long corridor on my right, all ears alert. I knew it well for I spent there quite the time since I was named inspector :That part of the building was the one heading to the archives where Shinohara and I retrieved the plans from. Another faint sound echoed, and I knew someone was there. Ever so slowly, I walked towards the dark hallway. It was more and more obvious that the sound was coming from the confidential section standing at the bottom. There were two entrance in the archives room. The first was the one I was going through, which would also let us access to a previous room, filled with training modules, programs, and footage. The second one though, was made by a back staircase leading straight at the offices floor which allowed agents to have an easier and direct access to the archives. Its door was situated just next to the confidential room, in front of the electrical panel. The closer I was getting, the louder I could hear the noise. In this darkness, my other senses slowly took over on my sight. I could smell the old cardboard boxes eaten by rot, hear the steady whirr of the fresh air brought by the vent ducts and feel my palms getting sweaty. But Although it was plunged in the dark, I could still guess some shelve outlines and about 30feet ahead, a moving silhouette.

**Itori pov**

"System down" said Aoba's voice through the ear set. As soon as we got the message, Eto and Shôta made their way down, when me and my guys headed for the main door. It didn't take long to reach the large hall accross which the door was standing. No ghouls were authorized in the area. Every wall had been riddled with RC cells detectors controlled from what they call "the bubble". Situated just besides the door just in case the monitoring room would have been in trouble, said-bubble was like a glass cabin from where the A.I in charge was meant to handle the whole thing like for house automation. No human was really needed inside the prison during night-time as everything was in complete autonomy, but the CCG however judged it would be wiser to have guards making a patrol every hour. We took our watch turn, lurking at the door, expecting the next patrol to barge in, in 45minutes from now. As soon as they'd come far enough from the detector, they'd be done. _I hope Uta's doing well…maybe I should bring him some eyeballs…, _I thought passing my tongue on my lips with anticipation.

**Uta pov **

I threw what I had found in my bag and was about to leave, when I smelled something that made my guts craving. Hearing them fight earlier had got me blood-thirsty, and I really needed a treat. I had started to become jealous of Itori who'd certainly have more fun than I was. Human, I thought, sniffing the air. Undoubtfully, human flesh and bones who was standing somewhere between the shelve lines. I felt a wicked smile blossoming on my face under my mask. I listened at his footsteps, definitively a man, and a quinque inspector, at that, I thought, listening at the weight of each steps he was making towards me. Well, even though the idea of some action was pleasant, If doves were really expecting us to get out from the same spot we came in from, we were screwed. The squad in charge of the diversion at the main gate had no longer the upper hand and was backing off, now. Meaning, CCG backups could barge in at any moment, squeezing us between here and the third floor. I had to find a way out for everyone before it was too late.

"Kô, I'm on my way." A robot-like masculine voice echoed in the space. The hidden mouse knew I was there, and now he also knew I know he was after me. I had to do something, and I had to do it quickly.

**Akane pov**

"hahah yeah, remember when Aki stormed in classroom his pants half down" Ran busted in laugh. Her light and elegant usual laughter giving it's way to a hoarser one.

"aha, yeah, he wouldn't stop pulling it up" I said, laughing to tears, "that was so mean of you to cut the button off"

"It was his fault for always throwing his eyes at Mariko when I was

In love with him" If anything, we were beyond drunk. And it felt so good to let go and reminding childish stuffs from a joyful past seemly gone for decades. Since my world had collide with ghoul's one, everything had been so messed up, maybe it was time for me to take some distance and go back to my old self. Searching for the job of my dreams, searching for a sweet guy that wouldn't watch his colleagues being eaten everyday, I thought, drinking some more. Maybe the only thing that was keeping me from crossing the line back to the livings was my fear to fail.

"Aka?"

The vague image of Uta made its way back to my thoughts. It was beyond my comprehension. I may not have dated a lot, but if some of my ex, or one-night stands were somehow eccentrics, none of them was creepy, nor were so… bold, mischievous, and unbearably annoying! Aaarrrrrrg, what's wrong with me?" , I sighed, grabbing the edge of the table with both hands and smashing my forehead on the hard material.

"you didn't listen shit to what I was saying, did you?" Asked Ran, eating a giant fruit slice that a second ago was floating in her glass.

"I'm sorry, what?" I said, looking at her.

"Hello, earth to space, I said, you should kiss him."

"What?, who?"

"your mysterious masked prince" _Here she goes again_, I thought, rolling my eyes.

"And where is that coming from?"

"You kissed Kô, didn't you? Well, they say you know how you feel about someone when you kiss. So go for it, kiss him and then you'll know."

"Well, genius, in case you haven't noticed yet, it doesn't' seem to work well with Kô, I did kidd him and I still don't know how I feel about him. And anyway, that guy is not interested, for god sake, what do you want me to do, huh? Raping him?"

"not interested, said who? God, Akane, I like you, but you can be such a pussy sometimes. I can't believe how you can blindly throw yourself into a fight but backing off so easily when it comes to feelings and stuffs. Are you sure you're even a girl?" She asked jokingly, raising a doubtful eyebrow, pretending peeking under my dress. I laughed one more time as she asked for two other glass of… that yellow sweet beverage we just had. _Maybe she is right_, _I don't know….wait, No she can't be right_, _this is ridiculous. I mean, the mere thought of me kissing that little… is grossing me out. Yeah, That's it! It's disgusting, annoying….annoyingly arousing… oh my God... kissing his pouty, soft pierced lips…. , _I thought starting absentmindedly chewing at my bottom lip.

"You're flushed, Aka are you okay? Want us to slow down?"

My conscience back on track once again, I vigorously shook my head.

"Believe me there's not enough booze in that Bar to drown all that stupidity of mine, I said. You know what, fuck him, fuck boys. I'd rather need a slow down on them than on booze" I said, raising the glass just brought by the waitress. "cheers".

**Kô pov**

He knew I was there, and I had to act fast. I stepped forward, ready to jump in, when all the lights turned suddenly on, blinding me painfully. I blinked a couple of time, seing the ghoul was now gone and the door to the stairs case, wide open. Without loosing any time, I rushed on his tracks, climbing the stairs as fast as I could while holding my heavy Quinque. I was beyond rage, and more willing to rip that ghoul's guts with my blade. I could hear his shoes hitting each iron steps, increasing the distance between us. Then, finally, it stopped. No more clattering, just the fading rumbling sound of the fight. Which meant he got out at the 3rd or the 4th floor. I waited in front of the 3rd floor access, trying to hear any close noise that could warn me of its presence. But once again, nothing could be heard, and the clock wasn't ticking any slower. I climbed up, entering the crisis department floor. The 4th mostly consisted on large open spaces and conferences rooms where all squads from the different wards used to gather when a case necessitated some coordinate operation. the neon were giving the room a gloomy yellowish color. One of them, blinking, was about to fade. Further in the center of the building, just bellow my feet, Jûzô was throwing himself in the fight, and here I was, tracking a shadow.

"Shinohara speaking. I'm on the spot, backups on their way. I'm waiting at the point." Spat the masculine voice, showing obvious sign of tiredness.

"Can you do without me?" I asked, roaming my eyes at every corner of the space I could see.

"Yeah, we got it. I'm sorry, it took more time than expected to get a rid of them. You, okay?"

"Okay, I found a rat into our archives. He's still inside."

"Where are you?" he asked, but I wasn't paying attention anymore, as my eye suddenly caught a tall figure on my right.

"Boo"

"Kôtaro, where are you?" The talkie walkie broke on the tiled ground as I was violently hit in the ribs, hearing and feeling at least two of them breaking under the impact.

**Uta pov**

All my body was shivering from excitement. I didn't want to transform completely, after all, he was alone, and I will expose myself less, without going all the way. I had punched him in the ribs with one of my RC arms, and felt my fist breaking through the bones with a delightful cracking sound. He winced, standing up as the pain was slowly sinking deeper in his bruised body. Maybe I was enjoying myself a little too much punching Akane's date. I had to admit, he was solid for a human, most of them would have vomited their bloody stomach and begged for mercy, but he, still managed to get back on his feet, ready to unleash the fury of his blade. Being a Rinraku type -among other things-, my strikes were said to be extremely powerful so I was really stunned he could even stand up. As expected from a special investigator, I thought. His grey eyes darted at mine, he plunged on me, blade first, and I dodged it easily, jumping backwards. His motions were swift and precise, yet, powerful. I spent some time dancing like this, letting him coming first, blocking, dodging, before finally striking. I grabbed the rod of this spear-like Quinque and taking if from his hands, threw it across the room as I captured his neck and started squeezing with nearly all my strength. I wanted him to feel it, to fear it. Bellow our feet, I could hear the enemy's backups joining the fight against Kaneki's. just a few seconds more and- my thoughts were interrupted by a grumbling Amon, who, taking advantage of my lack of attention, had pulled a knife from his sleeve and planted it in my throat, opening it like a fruit. It was burning like hell as my blood was rushing out of my arteries like a damn geyser without stopping. He certainly had bathed the blade in Anti-Rc solution for slowing down the heal. I really wanted to kill him slowly right now and was feeling frustrated by the lack of time. Indeed, we couldn't wait any longer. Retrieving the blade from my throat, I used it to pin the dove to the wall by his left shoulder and knocked him out before making some steps backward. I then pulled the little remote out of my pocket and counted down through the head set. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1… Now! I yelled to Kaneki, pressing the button. Suddenly, All the light switched off and a loud detonation after, the ground was opening itself under my feet, crumbling down the third floor. Many doves were crushed bellow the concrete debris falling on their head like a heavy rain. Cloud of dust were saturating the air and it's a disheveled Kaneki who joined me the first, only two other guys on his heels, and followed by a raging and hysterical albino kid holding a giant scythe. _Oh, here is the reaper, I thought he was taller._

I mentally commented, tilting my head. The blood was still flowing, draining me from my strength, as the wound was slowly healing. Another detonation later, all the glass exploded in shreds and we jumped out through the windows. Always be one step ahead, I thought, proud of my evacuation plan B. Kaneki Was already on the next building's roof when I felt a sudden pain in my chest. Wondering what was going on, I lowered my head to see the bloody tip of a Scythe poking out my rib cage.

"Nee, Nee, don't go, I've not finished playing, said the young dove in a sing song tone. Now, be a nice friend, and let me tear you apart"


	21. Chapter 20 : So close

Author Note : Please be aware, this chapter is a little... lemonish. Enjoy :)

Best regards- A-

20\. **SO CLOSE**

**Eto pov**

Once back to the lower floor, I splat the group in four pairs, each of them heading to another corridor. I had them memorizing every details of Satoshi's plan so It was easier to navigate through the maze of cells. It was a long task as every cell had to be opened using an authorized agent finger print and there wasn't enough fingers for every member to use. Only one per pair, meaning only 4 cells at a time. Of course, we couldn't free all of them, but we had to try our best. My stomach flipped when I saw the health conditions of the prisoners. I used to know some of them, each one proud and trust worthy ghouls, turned into drugged weaklings with barely enough skin on the bones. My whole body was boiling with anger as we progressed opening the iron doors one by one. Each one of the prisoners had to be collected and gathered next to the underground exit before we could go to another level. It was slow… agonizingly slow. And the more we took time, the more CCG might notice something was off with the footage system, not to mention the guards who will patrol soon. If the alert had to be given, all the building with be closed by the system, turning it into a bank vault. And all our effort would be gone to waste.

"C1 cleared" Makoto said through the earset. "On my way with the prisoners."

Soon, identical message came from the 2 other corridors and Shôta and I escorted our own ones to the basement.

It was now the turn Of SS rank ghoul's floor, If we wanted to fight the CCG back properly, we needed strong ghouls to join us.

That floor was not as easy as the first one. RC cells detectors were implanted in every corner, so I had to do it alone. Four of us stayed in the basement with the prisoners, to retrieve the GPS trackers from their bodies and three guys came to the 2nd with me, waiting to collect the ones I'd manage to free. _Here begins the fun_, I thought.

**Itori pov**

Eyes still focused on the door, I heard Eto's group clearing the 1st level quite fast. _About 5 minutes left before the first patrol_, I thought, checking my watch. Apparently, all the prisoners had been escorted safely to the basement. Everybody was nervous and the tension was palpable as I heard Eto opening the entrance of the SS ghoul's wing. _4 minutes._

**Eto pov**

As expected, no cries to be heard as I passed through the gate of the SS ghoul's wing. Shôta and the other guys were waiting next the door as I progressed along the strong-lighted corridor. Apparently, they went as far as letting the lights on for sleep deprivation experiences. I clenched my fist, reaching the first cell. There was about 50 of them, and only a little amount of time, so I had to be as quick as possible. I placed the finger on the finger print scan and waited for the door to open. A middle age ghoul with crazy eyes was looking at me, obviously high. Putting a finger on my lips signing him to hush, I motioned him to come to me. He did, wondering if he could trust me or not, before finally deciding to follow me. Ironically, Thanks to the RC suppressor they were drugged with, the detectors were not a threat anymore. I soon leaded the man to the boys who were now trying to spot the tracker hidden in his body, as I made my way back to another cell. Painstaking work.

**Itori pov**

The first patrol barged in fully armed and prepared. There were four of them, all dressed in white. I could feel the Rc cells rushing under my skin as I let out my 8 spider-legs-like Kagune, waiting hidden behind the pillars for the patrol to enter the space uncovered by the detectors. Exchanging a look with Sota, I held my breath, trying to muffle the excitation overwhelming my every nerve. And as soon as the first one reached my level, I striked.

All my body was boiling when I stabbed him in the neck. He stood there as I rose him above the ground, his legs kicking the air desperately. I watched the blood dripping from his mouth in a gurgle, as I brought him to my face, my Kagune poking out his open throat, like a bloody hook. Hilarious.

"Kill him already we didn't come to fool around" Sota said licking the blood off his fingers.

"Shut up, let me have some fun, would you?" I said back, ripping off the spine.

"You really can't do that neat and clean, can you?"

"You know I like It bloody. Bloody and messy", I said sucking the bone marrow from the vertebras.

Well…, 1st patrol down. Problem was, there wouldn't be a second patrol, because as soon as someone will notice the disappearance of those guys, they'll raise alert. And we would be screwed. We had Less than an hour left, I thought before reporting it to Eto.

**Eto pov **

Itori had taken care of the first patrol soon after I entered the second floor. Time was flying by and I had reached my 15th cell, when my eyes landed on Sachi. He was in an awful state. So thinned… he was talking to himself when I opened the heavy iron door, putting my hood down.

"Sachi.." I called softly.

He didn't hear me, being deep in his own world, talking nonsense.

"Sachi" I called louder, making him turn around.

"E…Eto?"

"come, time to get outta here."

"No…that can't be. I'm hallucinating again. I know you can't be here, it's not real…"

"It is very real Sachi, trust me."

"No, no, It can't be…it's a trick…"

No time for explain. Seeing it was leading to nowhere I knocked him down and carried him unconscious to the team.

"12 minutes left" Said Itori's voice through the earset.

I couldn't believe it had taken almost 50minutes to free only 15people. 12minutes was barely more time than we needed to make it out of here and I still had to search for that woman.

"Take all the prisoners out, I said to the boys. Itori, you too, get out."

"Copy." She answered.

Shôta was looking at me worryingly.

"What about you?"

"I still have something to do, but I can't have you waiting. It's too risky." I said putting my hood back up.

"Eto you-

"Get out. It's an order." I interrupted, making my way down to the 3rd level by the stairs while all teams were gathering at the elevator.

"Tell me as soon as you are out. Make it quick." I said to Shôta, opening the door to the staircase.

"Okay"

I felt his eyes on my back as I went down as fast as I could. Once they'll all be out, I'll have about 3 minutes to free her… I positioned myself in front of the large gate closing the SSS rank ghoul's aisle, a knot forming into my stomach as I waited. There was too little information about this part. Satochi never went there, he just mixed what he could hear from the guard's conversations and the noise he could catch, and apart from that, I didn't have a clue about what awaited me behind there. Once again, time flew by as I checked my watch. Come on, hurry up…

"Shôta speaking. It's done."

2 minutes 30, I thought, almost running from cell to cell. It took me about 45 seconds to reach the one I was looking for. Situated at the bottom of the pitch-black corridor, the cell was narrow and gloomy. Curled up in a corner, the woman's thin figure was barely visible. Covered in bruises, she was mumbling to herself something that even my ghoul ears couldn't catch.

"Octo" I called. Octo, was the short for octopus. Named after her octopus-like fire kagune, that woman used to be the strongest of the 3rd ward for years until her whole family got slaughtered by the CCG. Or so they thought. Her child was saved by Uta and Yomo but years after that, during the battle of the 4th we had lost his trace. If a ghoul had grown as strong as her, it should have appear long ago, and even if we never said it out loud, everybody knew the child was dead. _I wonder if she knows_… , I thought as she rose her head towards me.

"It's been a while since I've heard that name" she said in a soft voice. "who are you"

"I'm the leader of Aogiri. I came to make you out. We don't have much time, hurry."

"I don't want to get out."

"Well, I don't care, I promised to free you, and I will."

"Oh, you promised, huh? Well, As I've heard promise are not worth a lot those days."

"Octo-"

"Don't fucking call me that. Octo is dead, just as her family."

_So she does know…_

"there's nothing for me outta here anymore.", she spat in a raspy voice.

"Uta sent me… he did save your child, I promise-"

"I know that, she cut, And I too respected my part of the deal. I haven't said a word about him, nor his little organization whatever it's called now. But nobody took care of him, did they? And in the end, he died."

"He wants to make it up to you... once out you could take your revenge"

"30 seconds left, Eto, you have to go back!" Said Shôta.

I jumped back as Octo popped at the door, grabbing the bars of her cell. She didn't even wince as the electrical current was burning her skin and flesh. Her deep-set eyes were standing out her too-thin face as she looked at me angrily.

"25 seconds"

"Go back to your world Eto leader of Aogiri, she growled, Nobody can make it up to me. And revenge won't give me back my child. If you had any mercy you'd come to kill me, not to free me."

"15 seconds Eto, move !"

I kept looking at her face a little more, wondering if I should drag her out by force or not. Broken by years of torture, the woman had been once known for her outstanding beauty.

"12 seconds, Eto, please, I beg you…"

I despite myself, I Turned my heels, and started to run towards the stairs, Octo's face carved in my memory. Her dark hair, her green eyes and just below the right one, her little moon crescent birth mark.

**Ko pov**

I saw Juzo plunging his scythe in the back of the thief, as the other ones jumped by the window. My shoulder was burning like hell, and the ceiling, now weakened by the explosion, was crumbling down our heads in small pieces of plaster as I was struggling not to faint. Jûzo was a great fighter able to overtake powerful ghouls, but he was far too careless. Sometimes, he would rush alone against powerful enemy just for the thrill. He was about to slice the ghoul in half, when a large piece of the ceiling fell down his arm before I could warn him. I saw the Scythe cutting through the ghoul's flesh as Jûzo's Arm was pushed down by the pressure. The kid jumped backwards As the ghoul was now reveling his true form, spreading his Eight arms kagune. One of the arms grabbed the Scythe and pulled it off his lumbar, before grabbing Juzô by the neck to throw him on the wall. The floor crumbled down our heads before he had time to jump back to the fight, and the last thing we saw was the thief jumping through the window.

I didn't know how long I had been unconscious. I had bruise everywhere and I understood one of my shoulders had been dislocated by the knife while getting unpinned by the falling rubbles. Wincing from the pain, I tried to reach for the talkie-walkie from I could hear Shinohara's voice yelling.

"Amon! Amon, you hear me? What happened?"

It took me 20 good seconds stretching my valid arm before I grabbed the damaged device.

"I'm here. They blew up the entire floor. Juzô and I have been caught under the rubble."

"Oh my god, How's the kid?"

"kinda okay, the wall protected us from the worst."

"Can you move?"

"I gave a dislocated shoulder, but my legs are fine. How is the situation down there?"

"Not good, but not bad. We incurred some minor losses, but we killed most of the ghouls." I couldn't suppress a smile. "that was the good news," Said Shinohara in a sorry tone after a pause. I frowned.

"What's the bad one?"

"… The Colchea had been attacked… the intrusion here was just a decoy."

"AAAAAAArrrrrgh" I yelled in frustration. "I'm on my way, we have to go there !" I said, struggling to stand up.

"Kôtaro… it's too late… prisoners are gone. We only captured one of them."

**Akane pov**

It was pouring rain when we left the bar. Saying I was drunk would be an understatement. Ran had gone home by taxi, as I, needing some fresh air, decided a walk would help me evacuate the booze quicker. Well, I was wrong. I wasn't even walking straight when I crossed the line between the 3rd and the 4th ward, looking at the signs like they were written in some mysterious language beyond my comprehension. My IQ had got dangerously low, and I wasn't feeling like doing intelligent things. Not at all. That's why, for an obscure reason, I had this marvelous Idea -or so I thought - to make a swing by Uta's shop and throw my despise at his face for being such a player. I should have known better. Everybody know that no good idea can emerge from the obscure limbo of a drunk brain.

It took me … long? I guess, to reach the place. At this hour, it would have seemed obvious that the shop was closed, but once again logic had long ago deserted my brain, and nothing could have stopped me at this point.

Knock, knock, knock…

"Utaaaaaa ! Open the door! …. Uutaaaa ?!, OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR, YOU SKANK!"

**Bang, bang, bang **

I stood there, yelling his name in all my drunken glory, playing with my voice and enjoying the weird sounds it could produce, when an annoying squishing sound made me turn around.

"Akane? What are you doing here?"

Uta was right before me, flesh and bones, and also, visibly in blood. So much blood. Suddenly, all the resilient booze clouding my head despite of the rain and the long walk, got drained out of my system. The Adrenaline rushing through my veins had cleared my thoughts in half a second, and it was a very conscious me, who grabbed Uta's arm, worry painted all over my face.

"Oh my God, Uta you're hurt! What happened?!"

"I'm fine…I" he couldn't finish his sentence, as he coughed more blood that was now dripping on his lips and chin.

"No, Obviously you're not. I said, pulling my phone out of my purse. I'm calling an ambulance."

"It's just blood…." He mumbled, as I dialed.

"I'm sorry I can't hear you," I said pressing the phone against my right ear."

"I said, I'm fine, Its just blood!" He repeated much louder.

"This is the Emergency, what is the reason for your call?" Said a feminine voice. I didn't respond, as my mind was still processing what Uta had just said.

"Hello?, Hello? This is the Emergency, Hello?" My wide eyes were darted on his, when he gently retrieved the phone from my hand, and ended the call.

"It's okay, Akane, go home." He finally said, turning from me to reach the shop's door.

"No way I go home!, I spat, grabbing his arm once more, If you don't want me to call anyone, at least, let me help you."

"No, seriously Akane, go home."

"Well, good luck with that cause' I won't go anywhere."

He looked at me, considering if it was worth the fight, before finally opening the door, letting me in.

"do as you please." He mumbled. I followed him to the counter, where he sat on the stool, sighing.

"Let me have a look,", I said. All anger was gone, as I watched him slowly taking off his clothes. Blood had damped his tank-top and stained his skin almost everywhere from his loin to his shoulders. But to my utmost surprise, no massive wound to see. Just a deep cut next to the spine taking its roots under his left scapula, to reach the lumbar zone. Less bad than expected, but still impressive and seemingly painful. _He'll need stitches._

"where's the first aid kit?"

"I don't have one."

" what?... okay, never mind…" I made my way to the workshop, convinced I'd at least find a needle to do the job. The little space was crowded by shelves, tables and drawers full of art material. Paint, colorful solutions, brushes, sculpting and carving tools, and as expected, sewing kit. I put the last in my purse along with some tissues and a small bottle of alcohol, before filling a bowl with tap-water and coming back to him. Ever so carefully, I damped the tissue with the water, and started to clean the wound that I swear was now looking smaller. He didn't budge, nor eve winced when I poured some alcohol on the open flesh and sanitized the needle.

"It will hurt… I'm sorry." I whispered, wiping the water that flowing along my bangs was dropping into my eyes.

Remaining silent, he just sat there while I threaded the needle through the skin, pulling both side on the wounded flesh together.

"what happened, it looks like … you got stabbed or something." "It's nothing, really, you should see the other guy…" he said, chuckling. It was hard to say if he was joking. _"It's just blood"_

"you won't tell me, would you?"

"No."

Fully focused, and careful to not hurting him more than necessary, It took me 10minutes to achieve the task.

"It's done…"

"Thanks. But It wasn't necessary…really." His voice sounded so tired…

"don't be silly…"

We didn't speak, letting the watery sound filling the air, as I washed the dry blood off his skin. A pale moonlight ray was entering through the showing glass, casting dancing shadows on the tiled ground and enlightening the paleness of his silk-like skin. The blood had been cleaned long before I stopped washing his back, mesmerized by its muscular perfection. His arms and torso were covered by outstanding dark tattoos that my fingers were craving to trail. Everything, from his eyes, to the absolute symmetry of his skull, and even the shape of his limbs was pure art. A human, living masterpiece putting his own creations to shame. My heart beat got louder when he turned his face towards me. I couldn't stop starring at his lips. His Supple, tender, pouty and so delicate blood-stained lips. _"Kiss him, and you'll know..." She had said. Maybe…_

**Uta pov **

She was the last person I'd expected to see as I entered the street, and I thought she would leave quickly, but she didn't. I watched her gesturing in a ridiculous way, hearing her yelling my name a thousand time, under the rain, and despite of the long night it was hard not to smile. When she insisted on following me, I thought forcing her to leave, but I was too tired, and she seemed far too determined. She made herself at home, rummaging through my stuffs in the workshop, and I found it quite amusing to let her fix my soon to be healed wound. We hadn't spoke to each other since she paid for the masks she had boughed some weeks ago and she then clearly gave me the cold shoulder. So, it was both intriguing and funny to see her so desperate to take care of me. She had stitched the wound and was cleaning the dry blood off my back for 10 good minutes, when I turned my face towards her. Her smell was enticing… so appetizing. I had lost quite the blood while fighting, and as I only had light snacks recently, her scent was igniting a primal hunger in my guts that I was having a hard time to suppress. Under the pale light her figure seemed so thin and fragile, like a supple strand of reed and yet, a huge strength was radiating from her body. Part of me wanted to tear that strength apart, and eat her fearful eyes, but the more I watched her, the more a different kind of hunger was poking at my skin. Eating her, or devouring her…

**Akane pov**

It was a cold night and the damp fabric of my dress was sticking to my skin, giving me goosebumps. My breath got heavier as I could feel his gaze roaming my every curve. I couldn't find the courage to look him in the eye, so I kept staring at his lips. And the more I looked at them, the more they looked appetizing. As we both stood still, the room got filled by the deafening sound of the rain hammering the pavement. My hand reached for his neck, trailing down the line of his tattoo in a soft touch. He didn't move, letting my fingertips explore each letter, the curve of his neck, the outline of his pulsing artery, while I could feel his heartbeat getting quicker. The tension was almost unbearable, _"it didn't seem like he was playing the other night."_ … my fingers continued to explore his skin, caressing his clavicle, the roundness of his shoulder, trailing down his upper arm tattoo. I had to know…. I wanted to see … I held my breath, as I slowly rose my eyes from his lips, following the line of his aquiline nose up to his high cheek bones …and …finally… looked into the Abyss of his eyes. My heart skipped a beat as I sank in the depth of a stare showing nothing but raw hunger. I was a paralyzed prey facing its hunter. And all I could do was waiting for him to spare or to kill me.

"Uta…" I had said his name, an agonizing plea, barely a whisper dying on my lips as he grabbed my wrist, pulling me harshly towards him. Santhal, sweat, blood, His scent was intoxicating. I couldn't move, nor even think, I had no escape as I landed on his lap, still held by his strong grip. I wanted to slap him for making me feel like this. Hunger was igniting my body and soon the fire had spread through all my skin. I wasn't controlling anything anymore. He stood still, waiting for me to say, or do something as my eyes went back to his lips, once more.… was it all the booze, his scent, or a primal urge? I didn't know, and I didn't care as I slowly leaned on him and closed my lips onto his. A huge wave of heat overwhelmed my body as I tasted the blood on his mouth. I wanted more… so much more…

"uhhh" I whimpered as he yanked my hair before I could deepen the kiss. All his body was tensed, and I could tell he was holding back, but It was obvious that he wanted the same thing as I did.

**Uta pov.**

She kissed me… that was unexpected. Her lips felt exquisite, and it would be lying to say I wasn't dying for more, but I didn't know If I could stop myself. I was barely controlling anything anymore and my hunger was strongly overpowering my will. Feeling her little tongue poking at my lips and licking off the blood was so erotic that It took me almost all my will to not biting her on the spot. I wanted her… but she had drunk quite the booze, and I was not feeling like being gentle. … It could end badly.

"you should go home." I said pulling her away from me, before she could slip her tongue I my mouth. Incomprehension was now clouding her wide grey eyes as she looked onto mine.

**Akane pov **

"You should go home" He said, as I was devoured alive by his infuriated eyes. My brain was still processing what just happened as he spoke once again.

"I said. Go. home. Now." He growled sternly, his deep voice shaking me to the core as he put me back on my feet. _What? Did I just got rejected? like this?_, I thought, Vexation was slowly replaced by raw anger. _Isn't he the one who pulled me in his arms in the first place? Isn't he the one who keep coming to me?!_ I stood there, looking in his eyes with despise. _How dare he?!_ I felt used, humiliated and so ridiculous.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" I yelled. Bitter tears were blurring my eyes as I grabbed my purse and ran towards the door, wanting to be outta there as soon as possible. Fresh and humid air slapped my face when I made a step outside, my hand still on the handle.

"You know what? I spat, turning around one last time, Fuck you! Do not speak to me ever again, I'm done with your sick games!"

I turned heels, and stepped towards the street, determined to never lay an eye on that skank ever again, and left.

…Or so I thought. Because as soon as my hand left the handle, my wrist got grabbed and pulled so fiercely that my whole body got dragged backwards. I didn't get the chance to protest as Uta pinned me against the now closed door, arms up, squeezed between the wooden material and his warm body.

**Uta's pov.**

I watched her pain turning to anger as she stomped to the door.

"Fuck you! Do not speak to me ever again, I'm done with your sick games!" She yelled, dagger in her eyes. She was so sexy when she was angry. Her disheveled damped hair sticking on her neck, her lips trembling out of rage. Like a wild animal, ready to jump at my throat at any second. She reminded me of Itori. I wanted to give her a way out, I wanted to let her go… but my guts wouldn't let me as my hunger for her made me pull her in once more. I had pinned her to the door, pressing my body onto hers, looking at het intently. I wanted her mine. Mine to tame, mine to devour, mine to eat, mine to tear.

**Akane pov**

I hated it. I hated the way my body easily gave in, I hated the way he made me feel, I hated being such a wanton slut, craving for his touch. I wanted him to let me go, I wanted him to ruin me, I wanted… I didn't even know what I wanted… I was about to tell him to let go when he slammed his lips onto mine, his hand holding me still. Angry, I bite him fiercely, tasting his blood on my tongue as he winced. It didn't take long for him to answer, as his right hand grabbed my neck, pushing me further against the door as he forced his tongue in my mouth, making me gasp for air. Our tongue battled for dominance, which I eventually gave up, overwhelmed by the sensation. no longer wanting to fight, I started kissing him back passionately, nibbling at his pierced lips and sucking the breath out of his very lungs. Carried away by the heat, I explored greedily every corner of his mouth with my tongue, moaning and panting under the kiss. Seeing I wasn't resisting anymore he released my hands, rising me from the ground and carrying me to one of the show-case against the wall. He sat me there, trailing his hands up my bare legs. I wanted to caress his cheek, but he put my hand back on the glass material.

"Don't. fucking. Move." He commanded, sending shivers down my spine. I watched him keeping going, pulling up my dress and getting closer and closer to my intimate part. He then stopped, his eyes darted on mine as I moaned in frustration. "You are beautiful." He whispered, making me blush. "don't look away", he said softly as he started kissing my inner thigh, nibbling and sucking at the sensitive skin. I was devoured by frustration, aching with need, but mesmerized by his motions, I couldn't move nor even breath. He was still looking straight in my eyes when he ran a finger at the hem of my panties. I gasped. I was a trembling mess, panting, my legs spread wide like a wanton streetwalker and I was loving every single moment. I couldn't suppress a moan when he trailed down my engorged flower with his finger. He kept going until I edged, and then stopped, changing my moan in a growl. He did this five time more, still looking at me. I was going crazy… I wanted to slap him, to yell, ripping off his arrogant smirk, as I got even more enraged by the lewd mewls escaping my throat. My own body was betraying me as intense waves of pleasure were crashing mercilessly on me. But he kept doing nonetheless, and at the time he finally let me explode under his touch, I was crying incoherent things with a high pitched voice.

Pulling me down softly, he took me in his arms and caressed my hair as I was crying my eyes out, still high from the intense orgasm he gave me. He waited for me to calm down, stroking my hair and holding me in his arms. When my breath was back to normal and silence had fallen on the room once again, he parted from me slightly to look into my eyes.

"I'm not playing…" He said in a soft voice. Unable to speak, I simply nodded. "I just… need you to go home, Akane… please. If we go further now, it will end very badly, trust me." He whispered. There was no playful tone in his voice anymore.

**Uta pov**

It was my breaking point. I couldn't let her touch me…. if she did, I wouldn't be able to hold back anymore. It had been so hard already not to tear her thighs apart, ripping her flesh with my teeth… I didn't want her to go, but she had to… she had to.

"I'm not playing…, I said, trying to find my words, I just… need you to go home, Akane… please. If we go further now, it will end very badly, trust me." To my utmost surprise, she nodded once again, and parted from me slowly, searching for her purse. She didn't say a word when she opened the door with her still trembling hand.

"Akane…" I called, seeing her turning around.

"Uta…" she whispered. I then saw the door closing in a slow motion, letting me alone for good with the sound of rain. I thought about ripping off the stiches from my already healed wound, but finally decided on keeping them. I walked to the counter, from which I retrieve my bottle of blood flavoured Bourbon and poured myself a glass. I was taking the first sip when I got a call from Eto.

"Eto, I hope you've been a good girl, Santa has a gift for you.", I said jokingly. I knew my strategy was good, and Eto was more than capable so I wasn't surprised to get her call. I waited for her to respond, but nothing came for a while as she was searching for her words.

"Uta I'm sorry…she didn't want to come… and I had so little time to get out.."

"…I see…" I simply said, trying to hide the hurt in my voice. It's okay… it was her cho-" I couldn't end my sentence as Eto interrupted me.

"Uta I'm sorry… the patrol came in a little too soon and… the time we got the warning from the roof team, it was already too late…"

"Eto I said-"

"I had almost reached the door but it was closing too fast and… Uta…" her voice broke. It wasn't very like her to be so emotional. I held my breath, heavy hearted as I waited for her to speak.

"Itori… got caught while keeping the door opened…. I slipped out just in time before she got crushed by it." My heart sank as rage overtook my whole body.

"Uta I'm so-" I hanged up, cutting off her unwelcomed apology and threw my glass through the room, yelling. I watched it break against the wall, the reddish liquid slowly dripping down, as I considered the night events.


	22. Chapter 21 : From Gains And Losses

21\. FROM GAINS AND LOSSES

**Kô Pov : **

"6 dead, if I include the prison's patrol, 17 wounded and 2 in a very bad state… Dammit! I can't believe we got fooled like this." I said angrily, standing before the rubbles that had once been the 4th floor of the 13th ward Quarter.

"And 6 dead ghouls, completed Shinohara in his calm tone, It's not your fault. You did everything you could. Honestly, we all were skeptical about your theory. And without your warnings it would have been much worse." He was trying to comfort me, and I knew he was right, but I couldn't help myself for feeling stupid and bitter.

"How are they?", I asked with concern.

"They'll live. We called the hospital this morning, Sanada lost his leg, and he's deeply traumatized, but he's tough. They all are. with psychological support it will be fine. " We stood there in a mourning silence for some minutes more, then he landed his eyes on mine, as I spoke.

"I don't know what to do… Agents died to put those bastards behind bars and now, we have 115 free ghouls…what exactly am I supposed to say to their family? How am I supposed to live with it like nothing happened?"

"By catching them back." He said, "at least now we know why they kidnapped Akira and the others. They used their biometrical data to open the cells. Somebody even cut off the CCTV."

"It was set long ago… they prepared it for months before striking." I said clenching my teeth. They planed it just before our eyes… "

"Something else is bothering me…, Shinohara said, interrupting my thoughts, what did they retrieve from the archives?"

"Well… I didn't get to see what it was… but it was small enough to fit in a little bag, I explained, reviewing the scene."

"I guess we'll never know, since the whole room has burnt after the explosion…"

"I guess not…"

"come on, Amon, don't give up. I know it's been tough since Akira… but we can't cry over our defeat just yet. For now, we have dead to burry, and more important, prisoners to catch."

I knew he was right. I watched firefighters turning down the remaining fires, searching for something I could focus my mind on.

"What about the ghoul we caught?" I asked, suddenly remembering what he said through the talkie-walkie.

"It's a female one. Badly injured, but she heals fast. We'll soon be able to interrogate her."

"At least we have something to start with", I commented. "Leave it to me." I finally said. We had specialists for taking care about those things, and they were more than skilled, so I understood quite well the look my former instructor gave me.

"Are you sure about that? It doesn't sound like you."

"I am sure. I can't stay there waiting. I'll turn crazy unless I do something." I explained. Which was true. Shinohara could tell me It wasn't my fault over and over again, I couldn't agree with the comforting statement. Just as I knew it was Akane who truly found out what was going on behind Akira's death, I knew It was my feelings that were messing with my head. If it wasn't for the poor control I had over my emotions on that moment, I would have been able to do something more. of That, I was convinced. I was pissed off, I was desperate to repair everything, to do something, but the true reason I wanted to handle the interrogation myself, was the absolute certitude I had to become stronger. I had to put my emotion aside, and this would be the perfect exercise. Not to mention I really wanted ghoul's blood over my hands.

Shinohara remained silent, considering my suggestion, before finally nodding.

"We'll start it tomorrow. And I'm coming with you."

**Uta pov**

I hadn't slept since Eto had told me about Itori. No matter the way I thought about it, I couldn't understand why she would have done that. Itori wasn't exactly fan of Aogiri, let alone Eto. Yet, she threw herself under the door to help her getting out. I drank all night, despising myself for letting her alone. As a leader, I should have known better. I was known for my lack of emotions. My mask wasn't the reason why some called me No-face. Whatever the circumstances, I would remain calm and composed, ice cold. That's why I was both feared and respected. But I wasn't beeing myself those days. First with Akane, and now with this. After a while, I stood up and went out, heading to Eto's place. I wanted explanations, I wanted to tell her what exactly would happen to her if she didn't bring Itori back… I was beyond angry, I was furious, and sooner or later, somebody would have to suffer my wrath.

**Akane pov : **

I woke up with an excruciating headache. As if all the booze had rushed through my veins and got stuck somewhere in my brain. Ever so unsteadily, I walked eyes closed to the bathroom, and opened the medicine cabinet, grabbing the first painkiller I could catch, and drinking it desperately. Feeling the pills reluctantly going down my dry throat, I slowly opened my eyes, holding on to the sink. My head was spinning as I looked at my blurry reflection in the mirror. I didn't remember very well how I got home the previous night, but apparently, I didn't bother taking off my still wet dress. My hair was a mess and my makeup had been wiped by both rain and sheets. Sheets, that I noticed, had also marked my right cheek. _I really need a shower_, I thought, taking of my garments and throwing it into the laundry basket. Reaching for the tap, I turned on the water and stepped into the shower, face towards the ceiling. I have always loved feeling water running down my body. Warm, it would feel comforting. Cold, It would make me feel alive. I stood there for a while, letting the water washing out the night, and enjoying the moment. I poured some shower gel on my hand, and as I was starting to wash my legs, I suddenly felt a pain piercing my right inner thigh. I winced and cried in surprise when I saw the reason of that pain. I was beyond bruised. Actually, both of my thighs were. "_What a hell_ ?!" And thighs were not the only victims, part of my neck, lips and tongue were also swollen. Telling myself not to panic, I focused on my foggy memories, trying to remember the event of the night. Come on, focus, focus, I mentally cheered myself. _I went to the bar with Ran… We drank… ah yeah, I thought, I have to get back to my life… wait, that's not the point, what happened after the bar?…_ Everything was a blur, but I remembered going out under the rain. _That's right, Ran took a Taxi….and I… decided to walk_ !, I mentally exclaimed. I saw myself walking down the streets, a little cold, but hot inside, from the booze. _So what happened between the walk and- And suddenly, I remembered. I went to Uta's shop and…. Oh my god. Oh my god, Oh my god, OH MY GOD _! I remembered everything very clearly. His wounds, his tattoos… our kiss… and… _oh fuck_. I could feel me blushing hardly as I turned on the cold water, mentally insulting myself for being so stupid. Why did I even go there? I had bite marks all over, my skin was ravished, and I couldn't remember how that happened. I mean, as far as I can remember, it had been anything but painful. My heart was pounding as I pictured his tongue sliding up my thighs. Needing some fresh air, I rushed out the bathroom, dried myself quickly and got dressed. I was angry at myself. Angry, and ashamed. _"I'm not playing"_ I blushed even more as his voice was echoing in my head. I was reaching for my purse on the counter, when I saw what was once, my blank canvas, having turned into a very provocative drawing of Uta in all his naked glory_… _apparently if anything, the night had been very inspiring. I rolled my eyes, and grabbing my phone, dialed Itori's number. Today was Sunday, which meant she will reopen the Bar, and I was supposed to work. Even if I could easily hide my poor thighs by wearing trousers, It would be far more complicated to hide my bitten lips which made me look like I had been punched in the face.

"_Hello, this is not me because I'm not here. If it's not important, get screwed, if you think it is, well, leave a message BIIIP"_

I couldn't help myself for smiling. That was so very like her.

"Hey Itori, it's me, Akane… listen, I am sorry but I can't come tonight… something happened last night and I'm not really in a good state right now… don't worry it's not serious, I added thinking my last statement might worrying her, but bad enough for me to not been seen until tomorrow. Uh… It doesn't feel right to tell you this by phone so… would you mind calling me back for I can explain myself? Anyway, I promise I'll make it up to syou… bye."

I never was good for leaving messages, but this will do, I thought,letting me fall into the couch. _If she doesn't call me back, I'll go there and tell her face to face… she'd probably see what I mean then_., I thought, resting my head on the backrest.

**Uta pov **

Leaving the shop, I went straight to Aogiri's hole. Aogiri tree has its roots in the 24th. They actively combated the CCG, inflicting heavy casualties on them. For doves they were just Ghouls, among ghouls, they were both considered as Heroes, and terrorists. Some of them, who were badly injured by CCG's actions, would worship the group and help them from behind the scene. Someothers, were finding their method far too radical and thought you can't cure violence by using more violence. For me, all those moral principles didn't matter. Aogiri had its reasons, and I loved distraction. So as long as they weren't messing with my own, I didn't mind a little chaos. Anyway, in those last years, the organization had grown in power, becoming a large threat to the CCG and developing a notorious reputation among ghouls which had made them become one of the dove's most pressing priorities. And of course, as soon as they'll find out Aogir was behind the Colchea Attack, it will get even worse. But that wasn't exactly my problem when I knocked on their door like a mad man. My problem was, they messed with one of mine. And I will have them bring her back, or I'd turn their very existence into hell.

**Bang bang bang **

The door opened on a tall man with short white hair and red eyes.

"Tatara. I said, looking into his eyes where is her?"

"Hello, Uta, she's waiting for you." he said in his usual composed tone, leading the way. We walked in a large reddish carpeted corridor, and took the stairs to the basement, entering a room that had been converted into a bar. Tatara grabbed my arm, holding me back as I was walking towards the counter where Eto was drinking. "Don't be too hard on her… she knows she screwed up." He said. Being considered as Eto's right arm, Tatara was surely the loyal guy of the place. They've met long ago when he was into some Chinese ghoul organization, and I knew he was really attached to her even if his composed nature wasn't telling that much. "With all due respect, this is none of your business." I answered, growling before retrieving my arm from his grip.

"You are right. But She is my business." He waited a couple of second, trying to see through my intentions, before going back upstairs letting me alone with Eto who turned around to face me.

"I knew you'd come…" She said in a tired voice, patting the stool beside hers. I took the seat, quietly, looking at her jumping behind the counter and grabbing a bottle of Iced-bloody flavoured-vodka. She then poured us two shot glass, and put the bottle on the counter, jumping back on her stool. Ever so slowly, she pushed the glass towards me. No trace of the over self-confident brat she always have been so far. Looking at her on that moment, I felt my rage slightly calming down as she spoke.

"It was my fault… I shouldn't have stayed that long with octo… you know… they… told me to back off quite some times before I finally left. I shouldn't have done that."

I stayed quiet, drinking up the shot, waiting for her to continue. "I… made the wrong decision. And I'm sorry Uta…"

"Well, "Being sorry" won't bring her back, will it?" I said in a bitter tone "And I want her back, Eto." I said.

"I know…Uta I know it's an important member for you but… It's unusual to see you so…emotive… normally you don't care like this about anyone."

"You are right. Usually I don't care. I spat, coldly. You do prefer me that way, don't you? well, then you won't be offended if I say that I don't give a shit about what can happen to you or your organization if you let her rot there, do you?"

"I said I am sorry, Uta, but you very know I don't respond to threat, she growled, just as you know I'm stronger than you."

"Well, I guess we won't know until we fight. And for the record, that wasn't a threat. It was a promise. To me, Itori is family. So, if you still wanna count me or the clowns among your allies, or even possible contacts, you'll find a way to get her outta there. If you don't, we are done. And I'll personally make sure to make your life extremely difficult. Don't forget who make the masks for every one of your members… It would be bad to lose anonymity, wouldn't it? You don't have only friends among ghouls"

"You wouldn't dare…"

"Oh, wouldn't I? Would you bet your life on it?", I said, smirking. " Remember, I don't care about anyone. Your words, not mine. Oh, and no need to say you don't get to have what you made me retrieving until she's back."

"… Uta.."

"I know. Believe me I don't wanna go that far. But I want you to understand that I am ready to." I finally said, standing up. I was slowly making my way back to the door, when she held me back. "Can you forgive me?" She said, in a weak voice. She has never looked so petite and frail. I know she was not playing games, she was truly regretting it, but somehow I couldn't let go.

"I will bring her back… I promise." She whispered.

"We'll see. You told me you'll make Octo free, you also told me you'll handle things at the prison. You have done none of what you promised so far. So rather than talk, I'd want you to _**do**_ something." I watched her curling up even more on her stool, her white fingers holding on my sweatshirt, as she rose her green eyes to meet mine. I knew she had made her decision as any leader would. I knew I was being unfair towards her. And I also knew she was in that position for wanting to honor her promise towards me in the first place. But I was me and, as she just said, I didn't care.

"If you find a way, I'll forget all about it." I said parting from her for good. When I went up, Tatara was waiting for me in his usual white coat, looking at me intently.

"You'd probably wanna let her alone for a while" I said, when he leaded me back to the entrance.

**Akane pov**

It was nearly 4pm, and still no news from Itori. I've been trying to contact her at least 5 times, and she still wouldn't pickup her phone. I was wondering if having gotten my message, she was giving me the cold shoulder for not coming. Not being able to wait any longer, I grabbed my keys, put a scarf on to hide my bruised neck, and left the house, heading to the Bar. It took me about an hour to reach there because of the traffic jam, and It was nearly 5 when I knocked at the Helter's door. The "closed" sign was still on, and no noise was coming from behind the door, as I pressed my ear on it. _She always arrives between 5 and 5.30_, I thought, Maybe I should wait for her. Deciding on that, I sat down on the porch, grabbing my phone once more. _She is a strong woman. She is more than capable_, I thought trying to reassure myself. But deep down my guts I knew something wasn't right. _Itori… please be safe…_

**Itori pov**

I opened my eyes on a white tiled wall. Sounds, light, pain. Everything hit me like a truck at full speed as my senses were slowly waking up from a comatose sleep. I remembered the alarm ringing as Eto was making her way back from The SSS rank ghoul's aisle. Everything happened so fast. Everybody was already out then, exception made of Sota, me and a couple of others who decided to stay, keeping the doves at distance from the escaping prisoners. We had to buy some time, and make sure Eto was back safe. It would have be fine… Eto would have make it if it wasn't for that alarm that rang too soon. 10 precious seconds. By the time we got the warning from the roof squad, it was too late. The door was closing and Eto was too far away from it. I never have been a Fan of Aogiri, and If it had been up to me, I'd have run away without even a second thought. But Sota was different. Even being a part of the clowns, he never hided his admiration towards Aogiri and theirs motives. Knowing their methods, he'd probably change his mind at some point, but not me nor Uta have ever felt like telling him what they were truly capable off. So, when he saw Eto running towards the closing door, he visualized his hero being tortured behind bars, and he just couldn't accept it. That idiot started to run, and I know I should have let him go, but Uta made me leader of that mission. I was responsible of their life… of his life. And with years, I somehow came to like the boy. So, I just ran faster and pushed him out of the way as I slid under the door, keeping it opened just long enough for Eto to slip out, before being crushed by the iron material. And here I was, covered in my own blood, sweat and obviously piss, tied on a chair in some basement room. My dirty-messy red hair tangling on each side of my bowing head, I kept quiet and still, trying to catch every information I could with my ears. Noise were coming from everywhere. Like waves, they would crash on my ear shell, echoing to no ends in my spinning head. Really close to me, something was dripping in small drops on the floor… _probably my blood_. Some steps further, I could hear the feeble whir of the air duct, blowing 10 feet above my head. And further again, another dripping sound. Steadier, slower. _Probably a badly turned off tap, dripping on a metallic sink_, I thought. The room was cold, and I could tell I wasn't very dressed. From what I could feel, I had just my bra and panties on. Judging by the echo all those sounds were producing, the room had to be quite large. Focusing even more intently, I heard somebody moving and chatting in the room behind me, and footsteps on the ceiling. _3 men above, 2 of them behin_d, I mentally noted. I was about to grasp some word of their conversation, when I heard the loud sound of an opening door on my right. Loud footsteps echoed in the air, getting closer and closer, until I could see a pair of shiny black shoes stopping right before me.

"The subject 3088 has fully recovered. Ready to start the interrogation." Stated a low voice, which I guess was addressing to one of the men over there.

I felt a hand taking a full grip of my hair, forcing my head up, making me facing a middle-aged man with a creepy face.

"Hello, beautiful, said the man, smiling. Time to wake up." His breath was smelling shit and I wasn't in the mood for a chat. "Fuck you."

"Oh, that's not polite you know, I greeted you properly though. I prefer woman who're a bit more… ladylike."

"And I prefer men bloody, I said, so I guess we're both disappointed here"

"Haha, well if it's just that, you'll be very happy to know it's about to change, he said smiling like a creep. Bloody I will be, in fact, I'll soon be covered in blood. Your blood." He explained joyfully.

"I feel sorry for you man, no offense but right now you're standing in the middle of what I think to be my piss, not only my blood. But if you like it that much maybe we can find some arrangement… I was just considering changing my toilet."

"feisty, aren't you? he said pulling further on my hair, It's fine, I like it. It's even funnier that way. Let's say how long you'll keep that nerve, shall we?" He let my head go, moving to the left side of the room. I watched him grabbing a trolley, which he started to push towards me, whistling an old jazzy song.

_Once out, I thought, I'll kill that skank, rip off his balls and tongue and make him swallow both it by it's bum, and then, I'll beat the shit out of that bitch of Eto_. I had Uta taking care of me once, just to see how much I could take. No one could be better than U-chan when it comes to tear a body apart_. I can do this… I can do this_. And If I tell something, it won't affect us, I thought, gritting my teeth as I felt a needle plunging into my left eye.

**Akane pov**

6pm. Still no Itori to be seen. I had kept my eyes locked on my phone all along, and nothing came. Doubting I had miss-understood her when she told me about reopening the bar on Sunday, I finally decided to go back home. When I arrived, I got a message from Ran asking if I went back home safe. I turned on the TV, and was about to text her back, when my eyes got locked on the screen.

"_We still haven't found the perpetrators. Seventeen wounded and two agent's dead bodies were found in the rubbles so far, and firefighter's squad had just contained the fire." _Said a journalist, standing before what seemed to be the 13rd ward office's ruins_._ Oh my god, I thought, flabbergasted by both the scene and the news.

"_Did the 13rd division explained what happened_?" asked the voice of the announcer.

"_Kuroiwa Iwao, one of the special investigators had accepted to explain the events in more details, in a press-release." _The apocalyptic scene was then replaced by a large conference room, where journalists were all standing, holding mikes and taking photos. Behind a podium, was standing a man in his 40ties. His tired face was shadowed by sorrow and concern, as he spoke._ "As you probably heard, our office had been severely damaged. But the mayor is safe, as we took all the precautions before the event to keep him safe."_

"_Was it ghouls who did that?" _Asked a young female reporter in the back.

"_We still don't know for sure, but nothing makes us think that way" _he said in a serious tone.

"_Why?" _she asked again.

"_First of all, all the method that were used against us so far that night, were human-like. Explosives, smoke grenades and bombs, none of those are used by ghouls. And then, the perpetrators left just after attacking the mayor's hologram and trying to barge in by the front door. We think they are terrorists." _He said, trying to look relaxed and reassuring. What a bullshit, I mentally commented.

"_But if so, why choosing this day to strike?" _

"_It's another reason that make us rule the ghoul hypothesis out_, he explained_. If ghouls wanted to take down the mayor, they certainly wouldn't be stupid enough to do it in one of our quarters."_ Yeah, indeed, why would they be so stupid? I thought ironically.

"_Did you catch some of them?" a man asked at the front._

"_we shot down 6 of them, but unfortunately the other 3 left during the explosion." _

"_So, basically, you don't have any clue, and you didn't catch any of them alive?"_ he insisted.

"_I'm afraid so, but now that the firefighter had contained the fire, we'll be able to search for more information and clues. As It's probably a human matter, we'll soon hand the case to the police who I'm sure is more than competent for sorting this out. Be sure we'll inform you of any evolution. No more question, thank you."_

Out of shock, I had dropped my phone on the wooden floor. How comes I had forgotten about Kô's operation! if you hadn't been so focused on your lower brain last night…, commented my internal voice, you would probably have remembered, you idio. Angry at myself and worried, I picked up the phone, and forgetting about Ran, dialed Kô's number with shaking hands.

"_Amon Kôtaro. Please, leave a message, I'll make sure to call you back as soon as possible. BIIP" _

_Again, voicemail service. damned! why was everybody out of reach?!_, I thought, checking the time. 7.30pm.

"Kô…It's me… please if you get that message, call me back. I saw what happened on the T.V and we both know it wasn't terrorist so… I'm worried, please I beg you call me back ASAP."

**Kô pov **

It was about 7pm when Shinohara and I reached the 1st ward head quarter. After speaking to him about my intention to lead the questioning, I had spent a couple of hours at the recovery center, healing my wounds before heading straight to where the crushed ghoul had been brought. Apparently, the ghoul was so hurt that agents had to call our lab division to help the recovery with some chemistry, in order to start the interrogation as soon as possible.

Lots of things were going through my mind as we passed the double doors opening to the large interrogation room, in the basement. It had been situated here, because it was easier to cut off all signal that could allow communication or GPS localization from the outside. We entered a small space plunged in the dark from where we could see the whole larger room standing behind the tainted glass window, where Tokage was already at the task.

"I thought I was the one who'll handle this, I growled, what is this psycho doing here?"

"Hold on, Amon, we had to start it as soon as possible, and you were still recovering. Besides, he may be a psycho, but he's working at the colchea. Gumasa is an expert at what he's doing right know and he also knows every prisoner that escaped that night. If someone can extract any information from that bastard, it's him."

"Well, do we have any results so far?" I asked, still angry but admitting at some point he was right.

"Nothing that I know."

"How long has he been doing that?"

"5 hours now"

"without stop?"

"Yep."

"Well, I'm here now. I said. I let him a couple hours more, and if we still haven't anything by then, I don't give a shit about what Arima will say, I'll take over."

"Nothing's gonna stop you, right?"

"you already know the answer to that"

For what I could see from here, the ghoul was female. A red-headed one.

I never was the one taking pleasure from somebody else's sufferance. Nor was I the one to enjoy torturing and abusing someone that couldn't defend themselves. But I had to admit, this method had its results. And we weren't talking about "people" here anyway. If anything, I was secretly hoping she was the one who killed Akira, as that way, I could at least assist to the living hell of my nemesis.

"aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhrg" the ghoul was crying her soul out as Tokage was slowly pulling her guts out. No wonder why a noob couldn't stomach it. even I, was having a hard time not to puke. I watched him tearing her body apart bit by bit ever so slowly, and the sickening music of her agony went on for the following two hours without any results. I went a couple of time for fresh air, before finally decided on taking the shit over.

Shinohara entered the room and went talking to Tokage as I listened their conversation from the other side of the glass. As expected, he didn't took it right and left the room quite grumpy, but that didn't matter. The smell of blood filled my nose as I pushed the door, stepping under the bright light spots. Shinohara had followed Tokage in the corridor, leaving me some time with the disfigured bloody frame that was seated less than 10 feet before me. Tokage had used an RC cells inhibitor, a she would heal slower and feel the pain even more vividly. She was barely breathing when I faced what was remaining of her. Both ears had been torn out, just as the eyes. She had no breasts anymore, just two bloody holes standing above what seemed to be no more than a puddle of flesh. Honestly, It was hard to watch.

After a while, trying to not look down, I finally spoke.

"My name is Amon Kôtaro, I said in a much calmer voice than I thought. I will handle things from now on." By the Time I was looking around, her face had almost entirely healed. Now that she had stopped crying the silence that filled the room was deafening. I couldn't get my eyes off hers, as she darted her hateful stare right onto them. Her red hair was sticking to her sweaty forehead and blood was dripping from her mouth, falling on her bare thighs that were starting to heal, slowly. Her whole body was now in full view. Embarrassing, maybe, but much less disturbing than the image her mutilated body had planted on my brain. She had a white, pure skin which was standing out even more once stained with the bright red of her blood. RC cells had this specificity to enhance the red produced by hemoglobin, making their blood turn vermillion once exposed to the air. Her skin was more red than white and her orange-like eyes were eating me alive like a lioness. Oddly enough, I stood there in an awe, looking at her, without saying a word. He breast were plain, and her stomach toned. _Born to hunt the ones like us… the perfect killing machine._, I thought, remembering what Shiniohara said to me the very day I started my training as an agent. She was incarnating that statement perfectly.

"Like what you see? She asked, in an incisive tone, still looking straight at me. She had caught me completely off guard. I don't care who you are, she said, I don't care what you do to me I won't rat out anybody. So, save your tongue and make me scream like your little buddy, let's see who's gonna give up first. Unless… you wanna put that tongue to good use for making me scream?" She spat. She had some balls, I had to admit. If she hadn't been a ghoul, I'd probably have blushed, or laughed. Shinohara was right. Everything was easier behind the window, I thought… Knowing how to do it, and doing it for real, or even seeing it, were two very different things. But I had a duty to fulfill. I couldn't back off for a matter of stomach, could I? Gathering my resolve, I thought about Akira and each person I had lost over ghouls since I was a toddler. I knew she wouldn't respond to torture. At least, before days or even weeks if she was stubborn, and we didn't have any time to waste. God knew what 115 free ghouls might do to the town in only a couple of days. I had to focus, and think. Putting my briefcase down on the metal table on the left, I grabbed the Colchea file and, pulled the table closer towards the ghoul. Finally, I sat down on the cold material, the ope folder resting on my knees. Steadily, I went through the photos that had been taken on the scene, and read the report of the forensic. 3 of the guards had been killed quickly, broken neck or smashed heads. I was filled with disgust when I read what happened to the fourth one. Not only he got stabbed in the throat, he also had his spine ripped out and all his marrow had vanished. It was disturbing. I was about to look at the photos of the 3rd level where she had been found, when I heard her chuckling.

"What a face…, she commented in a sing-song tone, as Shiniohara made his way back in the room. Let me guess, you saw the spine guy, right? she asked, with a weird smile. Pretty cool isn't it?" I was internally boiling, but managed to keep a poker face as she was now laughing out loud. "You know… I can't really read your mind right now, but If I had to guess… hmm anger? Oh, rage isn't it? Perfect !, she exclaimed with sparkling eyes. I like it so much more like this, you really make me wanna suck yours off… she said running her tongue on her upper lip, smirking. I'm talking about your spinal cord, of course."

"You fucking bitch, that guy had a 3 years old Son! Do you even realize the pain of those who survive? Do ghouls even have any feeling at all?!, I shouted. Out of control, I jumped from the table and ran towards her, ready to smash her face when Shinohara grabbed my hand.

"What are you doing? Don't you heard that ? she's fucking proud of it! I exploded. They are worse than animals, We should slaughter them all already!"

"Amon! ENOUGH! Shinohara shouted, still holding me. "That's why I told you not to come. By doing this you're doing exactly what she wants you to do. You are smarter than that." He said, as I kept my eyes on the red-headed ghoul.

"You know, you are right. We don't feel anything. We are exactelly what you think we are. So come on, take your revenge on me for all the shit that happened on your weakling life." Shinohara was right. I wasn't myself. I hadn't been myself for a while now. All my body was boiling with raw anger, pure rage was filling my veins, and all composure had left me as all I could think about was my teeth ripping her throat off."

"Amon… back off. Get some fresh air."

"You see, that look on your face, she said in a low voice, barely a whisper, it makes me want to devour you alive. You look exactly like the wolves your kind is hunting, you know, for the thrill, just before ripping off their skin to make mantles…now, say… what's making you a Human, and not an animal? … Her eyes was piercing through my skin, cutting through my bones and freezing my blood. Shinohara had to pull on my arm once more before I finally followed him out side, the folder still in my hand.

"She's trying to mess up with your head", Shinohara said once I had calmed down, feeling the fresh evening breeze blowing on my skin.

"I know, I sighed. I hate to admit it, but you were right.. reality is really something else."

"Yeah…"

"Well, let's try to look at this with distance, I said more to myself, opening the folder once more. This Time I focused on the photography of the ghoul's body smashed by the door. It had almost cut her in a half. My eyes went through 4 of them, each one with a different angle, but not showing anything probative, and I was about to give up, when something in the upper corner of the fifth picture caught my eyes. My heart jumped as I examined the rest of it in a rush.

"you found something?"

I didn't answer Shinohara as my I held my breath, my eyes scanning the last photograph. It was subtle, not very clear but in the bottom was a Mask. A very particular mask, looking like a trefoil, diamond, heart and spades playing card, with a broad sharp-teethed smile in the middle.

A smile was blossoming on my face as I looked at Shinohara.

"Maybe we don't need her talking.", I said. _It's time for luck to turn_, I thought, grabbing my phone.


	23. Chapter 22 : Closing In

22\. CLOSING IN

**Akane Pov **

I probably tried to call Kô a thousand time out of despair, before he finally called me back around 9pm.

"Akane? I'm sorry I didn't have any signal there, just got your messages."

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah… I got a minor injury, but I got back to work right after being fixed, so…"

"Thanks God…, I sighed, overwhelmed by an intense wave of relief. Until now I hadn't realized how much I cared about him. I've learned through years not to get attached to people. I tend to push them away, minimizing whatever importance they may have to me until the feelings I have for them eventually fade. But having just spent long hours picturing Kô's death, I came to realize the place he had taken in my life through those past two years. Whether I liked it or not, he mattered more to me than I could ever admit, and certainly more than I thought.

"Don't EVER make me freak out like this, do you understand me? Is Jûzo okay? What happened? In the news they said it was human terrorists, but we both know it's bullshit." I had spoken without a break or even taking a breath.

" That's… a lot of questions for a pretty long day, Aka… Listen, I'm sorry for not being in touch. The kid's okay. A lot happened, but I don't feel like talking about it right now I just got off a meeting and I haven't slept for two days…"

"Do you have any leads?"

"Possibly, yes…He said, while I could hear the exhaustion in his voice. I'll try to drop by in the next two days… There's something I wanna talk to you about."

"Okay, sure, there's something I have to tell you too, I said, Happy to hear you guys are fine."

"Oh, and do you remember the shop where you bought the masks for the party?" He asked in a pressed tone.

"HySy? Yeah, of course, why?"

"Do you know the owner?" The second he asked the question, I pictured Uta's lips on mine, making my stomach filp.

"Not really… I said in a weak voice, slightly blushing. I mean, he came to the bar a couple of time, but we never really talked. Why do you ask?"

"Is that how you got to know the shop?" He asked quickly without answering my question. I frowned.

"Actually my friends and I heard about it when I was still at university. I found out he was the owner when I got there for ordering the masks." I answered, noticing any tiredness seemed being gone from his voice.

"I see… do you know any way to contact him?" I took a moment to think, when I remembered his business card. I reached for my purse and grabbed my wallet, retrieving the slim carboarded paper. I was able to give him the phone number, when I suddenly recalled seeing the card on Kô's wall. With all that happened, I had forgotten, but it had intrigued me then. I remember my fingers trailing the red string until the dark paper.

"Akane? You here?" Kô's voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

"…No, other than his business card, no. But I assume you already have it, since I saw it on your wall." I said, in a colder tone that I expected. "Kô, would you tell me what's going on? Why do you want to contact him so suddenly?" I hadn't noticed my heart beat getting faster.

"You know I can't-"

"Oh please," I interrupted, "you know my mouth is sealed, besides it's not the first time you show me something I shouldn't see. If you want me to help you, you have to tell me. If you don't trust me, fine but next time you need my help, get lost." I didn't expect it to come out so harshly. Kô was the "Always following the rules" type of guy so, I knew it wasn't easy for him to talk no matter if he trusted me or not. But something was making my nerves sensitive.

"…Okay. I just noticed that lots of ghouls that attacked the CCG in similar incidents were wearing masks. And I don't mean regular masks for bank robbers. I mean, very particular masks very close to those your friend makes." I stood quiet, letting the information sink in, before asking. "You think he may have made them"

"Yes. Whether it was knowingly or not, I don't know. But even if it wasn't, each mask he makes is unique and adapted to one face. So, if he indeed did those masks, it means that-

"-he saw the ghoul's faces…" I completed, in a soft voice.

"Yes. That's why I need to talk to him. I'll try to drop by the shop tomorrow. For now, I'll get some rest."

"Okay… Kô?"

"Yeah?"

"I...I'm glad you're okay." I heard his smiling voice when he answered. "Yeah… It's good to hear you."

When he hung up, I sat on the couch and immerged myself deep in thoughts. Of course I hadn't told Kô the real reason of my first visit in Uta's shop. Nor had I told him about our encounter the last night. I couldn't help myself for thinking about that gold mask and the mysterious register… _and why was he hurt last night?_ With all those questions and the being surprised by Kô's revelations, I had completely forgotten to tell him about Itori's absence. Well, he said he'll pass by soon so, I still could tell him then if she hasn't come back until I see him, I thought, trying to relax.

**Kô pov**

Despite of the fatigue, it had been really hard to find any sleep. I was both frustrated by our fails, and excited about what could possibly be the better lead I've ever found so far. At 8.00 I jumped out of my bed and made some coffee. I hadn't had any time to settle since Akane had come here, and my body was reminding me the limit oh humanity mercilessly, but my brain was far too agitated to waste any time resting. I had taken all the files I could remember, concerning cases with masked ghouls. And that was a lot. I planned to visit the shop by 4pm which let me plenty of time to go through each case and thoroughly ascertain the masks we had encountered. It was 2pm past when I rose the nose from the file for the first time, alerted by a roaring empty stomach. I had gone through most of the files and noticed that the mask were not only different from a ghoul to another, but also had some common point between one organization's member to another. It wasn't always obvious, and sometimes I was wondering if I wasn't creating or imagining links out of despair. I made my way to the kitchen and retrieved an instant noodles cup from the cupboard. There were organization that we already knew and had open cases on, but also other unknown groups at task. Some masks were completely isolated and didn't seem to have any link with any group. _Mercenary?_ I wondered, filling the cup with water above the sink before putting it in the microwave. At 3pm I had eaten and made a pretty good list of the masks, classified by groups I assumed they were part of, and I was about to leave for the shop, determined to get some answers. It there was indeed common points and if it wasn't only my imagination, it could only mean one thing. The maker not only knew the faces of his ghoul clients, but also the organization they belonged to. _Let's see what you're hiding, mask maker._

**Uta pov **

I grabbed my jacket and made my way to the door. Even if Eto promised to do something about Itori, I couldn't sit and wait like a puppy, could I? I had spent most of the night thinking of a way to make her out of the colchea, but without knowing exactly where she was, It was useless. Thinking that two brains were better than one to solve a problem, I had closed the shop at 3pm and was now heading to the Anteiku to meet Yomo. He, Itori and I, had been close friends for quite a while now, and both of them were family to me, even if it hadn't been always like that. I smiled, remembering the good old days, pulling the entrance door. At the light sound of the bell, I was immediately greeted by a smiling Tôka who was making coffee behind the counter.

"Hey creep."

"Hey Alien." I said back, making fun of her blue hair.

"He's waiting for you," she said, pointing to her left.

I turned my head to my right, seeing Yomo, comfortably seated on the green couch in front of a small wooden table. He was drinking a large coffee when I came sitting down in front of him.

"Hey."

"Hey", he greeted back in a low tone, taking a sip of the dark beverage. Situated In the 20th ward, The Anteiku was well known for making the better coffee in town, and coffee being the only human beverage that we, ghoul, could drink, it was certainly convenient to have our own store. I let my eyes wandering around, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere, hearing Tôka humming an old song while drying off some cups, when Yomo broke the silence.

"Any news?" He asked after a while.

"Nop. Eto said she would help, but.."

"Let me guess, you won't wait for her to move."

"Of course not." I said, looking at him.

"Tell me what happened"

I ordered a coffee for myself, before spitting out the story, exception made of the archives part that Eto told me to keep secret. He stood quiet for a while, processing the new information, and took another sip of coffee before talking.

"Why did you accept to split?" He asked, "not very like you"

"Because Eto promised me to get her out of jail." I explained.

"Her… you mean…"

"Octo." He frowned, sighing.

"It's been a while since I've heard her name…" He finally said in a sad tone. "Judging by the turn of events, I guess she failed…does she know what happened to her child?"

"I assume she does, she refused to come. That's why Eto stayed too long and that's why Itori got caught by the door" I explained.

"I see…" He took another sip and looked at the people passing behind the window, before talking again. "do you remember the day she scolded us for destroying the roof?"

I was surprised to hear him chatting about old memories and couldn't help myself for smiling. "Yeah.. that was something…she could be scary, that old rag" I said, laughing, picturing a red-faced yelling Octo.

"Yeah she could be… but I miss those days. Sometimes I wish the time had stopped then." He said, unusually talkative. "We should have looked after her… even if we couldn't have done anything anyway, we shouldn't have let her like that…"

"What is done, is done, Yomo. Nothing can change it." I said a bit to quickly. I didn't like to admit it, but I was feeling the same. Back then we were just kids fooling around. I had quickly learnt that ghouls and human deserved each other plenty and all I wanted was chaos. I wanted to be the lord of the badass in town and was pretty much the strongest ghoul of the 4th. At 16 I was commanding the whole faction by myself and the CCG was trying hard to conquer the territory back. It was on that time that I met Yomo for the first time. He was a loner, roaming my territory without bowing to me, and it was both annoying, and very interesting. We fought numerous of times founding out our forces were on par, before finally making peace and becoming friends.

He had been my first and only friend during a long time before we met her. And later, Itori. The day we met octo was in the middle of October. Yomo and I were fighting for fun in a narrow street at sunset, when she came with her child and her husband. Apparently they were coming back from a fairground, the little girl in her arms was holding a balloon, giggling and they seemed pretty joyful. I expected them to turn back and run, yelling, like they all do but giving the child to her husband, she calmly walked towards us.

"You shouldn't fight like this, in the middle of the day you know?" She had said in a crystal-clear voice, rising her head to face us while an emergency stair case crashed down on the ground.

"And you shouldn't walk in ghoul territory." I had said back, looking at Yomo with a smirk.

"I will pass this street with my family and I expect you to go back to your home, she had said, not impressed at all. Or, I can kick both of your ass and pass anyway. Choose." Yomo and I had exchanged a look, and we both went down the building we were fighting on, to face the lady from closer. She had dark hair and green eyes, with a moon crescent shape birth mark on her cheek just under her right eye. She looked like any sweet and caring woman, except for her scent. The closer I got, the more Convinced I was. She was a ghoul. And a very powerful one. I had been very intrigued by her, back then, even more when I saw her husband was human. I had looked at him, holding his child worryingly, and had backed off to Yomo's surprise.

"You seem wiser than you look " She had said.

"Let's say You're interesting. Go home with your family and let us meet here later for a fight."

And with that, we had let her pass. She came back later as promised and we had fought almost all night long without we ever could beat her. She had gotten us both on the stake and we could tell she was holding back. So, exhausted and frustrated, Yomo and I ended up seated on a roof top watching the sunrise and talking together with our new Alien. That night we learnt that she and her family were new in town and living not far from there. She was a simple nature, not keen on fighting and quite loving humans. She had met her husband in a flower shop 4 years before that and they got married right after. We had talked for almost 3 hours before she finally left us to go back to her family.

"Wait!", I had stopped her before she jumped down the building, "what's your name?"

"Hosokawa Haruka, she said, smiling. But my friends call me Octo."

That day started a friendship that had lasted 3 happy years. Through the next months we got to know each other and Yomo and I often went to their house. As I had thought the first time that I met him, her husband Hattori was human and so was their daughter. It was the first time I've ever sawn a hybrid child. Octo had explained that the DNA couldn't be both ghoul and human, so a hybrid child was or 100%ghoul or 100% human. Most of time, if the human DNA wins, the child appearance would be closer to the ghoul parent and vice versa. And judging by the child birth mark, and her dark hair, she was right. Only her Blue-grey eyes were closer to her father's. We learnt that Octo hunted only when it was absolutely necessary, eating dead meat most of time, cooking it like any other human meal. The more time we spent with them, the more I felt intrigued and appeased… I had spent most of my life seeing people fighting, killing each other, and I was convinced that there was no place for us ghouls in this world. Human or ghoul: all the same, but never allies. And yet, this annoying odd "happily ever after" hybrid family gave me something no one else had ever given to me. a home to stay, and a hope to hold on… until the incident.

"So what should we do about Itori?... Uta?… earth to moon, Uta you here?". Pulled out of my thoughts, I focused my eyes on Yomo who was looking at me with concern.

"I thought you may have an idea, I sighed, but first we have to know where they took her."

"I guess you don't wanna involve the clowns, he said, so I'll send some people investigate."

"Take Sota with you. He was there so I know he'll wanna help"

"She's strong you know…" He said in a comforting tone.

"I know", I said finishing my cup in a gulp.

**Akane pov**

It was nearly 4pm when I rose the nose from my book and walked to the kitchen. After an early jogging, I had spent the whole day between my book and my phone, making a yet another infructuous call to Itori, and waiting for her to contact me back. Slightly annoyed to go around in circles for nothing, I was about to grab a cookie and go for a walk, when someone rang the doorbell.

Wondering who could that be, I made my way to the door and 7 open locks later, I saw Kô, standing in his signature blue suit, seemingly both tired and frustrated.

"Kô?" I said as a matter of fact, "when you said you'll try to drop by I wasn't expecting you so soon." I said.

"Yeah I know, uh do you have a minute?"

"Sure, I was wondering how killing the time, so…" I said stepping aside and motioning him to enter. He went straight to the living room where I followed him with two cups of coffee. Once seated he took a sip and remained quiet for a while, seemingly searching for his words.

"You always make a good coffee." He finally said, putting the cup back on the table.

"Thanks…"

"Actually you were right, I intended to drop by tomorrow, or maybe later in the week, but I went to the shop see if I could interrogate the mask maker anyway." He explained.

"And?"

"And what?"

"what did he say?" I pressed him as he frowned.

"Nothing. He wasn't there. When I reached the door, I saw a sign on it saying it was closed for the day."

"Oh I'm sorry…" I said, taking a gulp of the hot beverage.

"It's okay…" He said, visibly thinking about something. "I thought I could talk to you instead and make two birds of one stone."

"I'm listening, what is that thing you wanted to tell me?"

"Actually, it's something I'd like to ask, but first I have some more question about our little friend."

"Okay" I said, not very comfortable with the idea, "shoot."

"When you made the order for the masks, he started, did you notice something weird?"

"You mean, apart from the whole decorum, the masks, the gloomy atmosphere and the very odd-looking owner? I said ironically. Well, I'm sorry Kô I didn't mean making fun of you I know this is serious, but could you be a little more specific?"

"Yeah… uh, do you recall any allusion about ghouls? Did he ever mention his clients?" he asked in a pressing tone. He seemed very tensed, even more than he was on the phone and I knew he had found something that had reinforced his impression.

"Wow slow down", I said as he had asked all his question at one go without breathing. "I don't recall any conversation about ghouls or other clients. Liar, whispered my conscience, as I was trying to determine what I could or couldn't say. "He just said that it was very important to take the appropriate time for the measurement, as the most beautiful art becomes ugly when it doesn't fit its place. He also said that every piece he creates is unique."

He was about to ask me another question, when I interrupted him.

"Now, please tell me what's going on. You seem very agitated and I know that look." Quiet, he was intently looking at me with his dark grey eyes, probably also trying to determine what he could or couldn't say. "You found something, didn't you?" I pressed. Frowning, he exhaled before finally talking.

"Yeah. I mean, nothing that directly incriminates him, but I noticed something important." He then explained me about the different ghoul's factions and how he thoughts the masks could have been created according to them.

"That could mean whoever created those masks could not only know the faces of their owner, but also the factions they belong to." I said half for myself.

"Exactly", he exclaimed in an excited tone.

"Unless someone expressily asked for it, I said"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, when I ordered the masks he asked me if I had any theme in mind."

"Hmm… Anyway, I went through the cases where the CCG had encountered masked ghouls and made a thorough list of their masks", he said handing me the said-list, which consisted in two columns of a letters and numbers series. Bunch of photographs were attached behind it, each one of them picturing a different mask. "I classified them in the order of appearance. So the first four numbers you see, Is the date we first encountered them. After comes the first 3 numbers or letters of the case reference, he explained pointing at said-series. Then, comes the name I gave to the mask, and finally the organization name." I looked at the different references closely, and compared it to every photograph, trying to see the common points he was talking about. As we could expect it from him, Kô had been very organized. My eyes were wandering from one picture to another, when my heart skipped a beat.

I had reached the middle of the list when my eyes landed on a photograph showing a hooded figure, wearing a white no-face mask. I kept staring at it for a while, feeling brought back into the memories of that night. The sound were fading around me, as I ran my fingertips on the photograph. Suddenly I was kneeling on the stage, facing this massive crowd of masked faces, waiting to be sold. Beside me, the overwhelming figure of the No-face ghoul, animating the auction.

"Akane ? What's wrong, Akane you hear me ?" I was pulled out of my thoughts by Kô who was now looking at me with worried eyes.

"Yeah, uh… I was thinking, that's all.", I said looking at the reference. 0816-45D NOFACE-LON. "What does "lon" mean?" I asked pointing at the letters.

"Loner" he said. "Basically, it means I haven't found any faction to attach him to."

"I see." I said, half immerged in thoughts.

"Now, do you remember having seen any sales ledger?" He asked while I put the list back on the table.

"Well, maybe but I'm not sure. It could have been an agenda, I half lied. So, what was it you wanted to ask me?"

"I don't know how putting that exactly but listen: You and I have known each other for almost two years now, and you know how much I care about you. Whenever I needed you, you were there, and last time with Akira…I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have made it if you hadn't helped me seeing the solution. Everybody think it was thanks to me, but I know how much I owe you for this, he said taking my hand while I held my breath. What I'm trying to say is… you are brilliant. You are smart, and instinctive. Besides, you have followed our training so… Akane… I know this is a lot to ask for but… would you accept being a part of the CCG?"

I could literally feel my eyes widen. _At least it's not a proposal_, my inner voice mocked.

"I… don't know what to say, Kô it's… quite unexpected, I said, besides… I was considering finding a job closer to my field. Now my inspiration is back, I think it's time for me to take a chance with another gallery or maybe a museum." I explained. Which was true. Thinking about restarting my life where it had stopped that night wasn't only something that came out of tequila.

"I understand, and as I said, I care about you and the last thing I want is for you to put yourself in danger. But I thought maybe you could work into the office or even, as a consultant. That way you could keep doing what you want, he said softly. I don't like it either, but truth is you could be very useful to us."

"I'll think about it." I said, nodding.

"Thank you, Aka… and if you don't want to do it, it's just fine. Don't worry." He kept looking at me for a while, before standing and making his way to the restroom. I waited until he closed the door, before grabbing my phone and quickly taking pictures of both the list he made, and the different photographs. I didn't know what to feel about being a part of the CCG, nor I knew what was exactly going on with Uta, but if it had any link with no-face, I had to find out. I hurried to put everything back in place when I heard him flushing the toilet.

"Everything's alright?" I asked.

"Yeah… I have to go, he said. We have a meeting at 6. Think about what I said and if you remember anything about the shop please call me."

"Sure" I said handing him the files he brought before accompanying him to the door.

"I missed you." he said in a soft tone before heading out.

"I missed you too. Bye"

It was 5pm when I returned sitting on the couch and tried to call Itori once more.

"The voice mail of the number 4456 657 809 is now full. You cannot leave any message."

"God dammit", I growled, grabbing my keys. I'll go there once more and if she's not, then I'll try to call Uta. Being one of her friends, he might know where she was.

As I was taking the bus to the 14th, my thoughts went back to Kô's theory. Let us suppose Uta knew he had some special clients. After all, he admitted asking question wasn't his job and he was very careful regarding to his clients privacy. Did the ledger I saw contain all the references? After all, the gold mask wasn't one of them. What if he had some secret ledger somewhere? _If I were running some illegal business, I certainly wouldn't be stupid enough to let all the evidences for everyone to see_, I thought looking at the picture of no-face. If Uta indeed did all those masks, knowingly or not… It meant he had seen the face under that mask, at least once… and if so, he could be the key to solve all the mystery around the event that had changed my life two years ago. _Uta…As always… every step I make keeps binging me back to you…_


	24. Chapter 23 : Digging Down

23\. DIGGING DOWN

**Kô pov **

It was 6pm sharp and we were all gathered in the wide war room of the main office. And by "we", I mean all special inspectors, their commandants, and of course all the upper crust of the CCG. The long room was situated at the 10th floor as a part of our Crisis management and strategy floor. As its name implies, the 10th floor had been made especially for us to handle extreme emergency situations. As representative of the Colchea division, the special investigator Aura Kiyoko made his report, exposing the facts with seriousness in their every detail.

"I will now reveal all the ghouls that managed to escape, and the circumstances of the incident", he started, projecting portraits and names of said ghouls on the screen behind him. "Amongs the 15 SS rated ghouls, we have : Porpora Donato, also known as the priest. He was running an orphanage in Russia and was feeding among children." My heart got squeezed when I looked at the picture of my former foster father. At that time we ignored everything about ghouls... I had lost my parents because of them, that's all I knew then. Ghouls were evil. But when I came to that orphanage, Donato had been so kind… every time a child would disappear, he'd say they found new parents and nobody ever thought he was eating them. And if I hadn't bumped on him while he was actually eating one of my friends, I'd probably never suspect anything. That night, I escaped and got rescued before he caught me and that's how CCG captured him. I heard he benefited of a special treatment for good behavior, he was also priying in other ghouls conversations and exchanging information with the guards. Even now I feel uneasy looking at his face.

"Matasaka Kamishiro, alias Orca, continued Kiyoko, former leader of the ghouls in the 6th ward and foster father of Kamishiro Rize. A strong ghoul versed in martial arts." The pictured swiped for a middle-aged bulky man with a large neck and strong facial features. His thick black eyebrows and a long wispy black mustache were giving him the look of a Dôjo master.

"Don't be fooled by his calm demeanor. He is convinced that he respects humans. However, like all ghouls he feed on them. If you get close, be on your guard."

"Fueguchi Hinami, Alias Yotsume. She saw her parents killed by our investigators and became a terrorist of the Aogiri faction. Be careful, despite of her slim build and a childlike demeanor, she is determined to kill every agent on her way." The picture he projected was the one of a little girl with soft features.

"Rio, Alias boomer. He studied chemistry and is well known for crafting fearsome IED." He continued like this for 15 minutes, showing us more pictures, and evoking the weak point of each subject he had studied in the prison.

"I heard they made it to the 3rd floor," Said Juzô, from my right. He wasn't a part of the commandment chain but was here as a witness of the event of the 13th.

Everybody held their breath at his words.

"Correct, said Kiyoko, but nobody escaped from there" He quickly added to reassure the audience.

"How did they escaped? I thought ghouls had Rc suppressants and trackers implanted in their bodies" Asked Shinohara, expressing my thoughts out loud. Kiyoko was making a constipated face, as he answered shamefully.

"They managed to remove it. We think they operated in two teams. One for retrieving prisoners from the cells and carrying them to the lower level, and another team for pulling out the trackers"

"All of them?"

"Yes… but fortunately, the operation take them lots of time, preventing them to free more ghouls" He said, throwing a positive point on the table out of despair.

"What about the CCTV system? How could you not notice it was neutralized?"

"Because they made it go around in circle. There were indeed images, but the timer had stopped, and the same few images kept going. The AI covers most of the system, except the CCTV part. Ironically, we thought that if the AI had a problem, we could at least keep an eye on the situation before going there." He explained. That made sense, except it hadn't been safe enough, I thought.

"I heard you captured a wounded ghoul", said Matsuda Ryouta, the former commandant of the 7th squad, in a low tone.

"We have. A female specimen" Said a nazal voice at the front. Kijima Shiki. One of the interrogators that was officing with Tokage. If I remembered well, he had been definitively affected to the Colchea after he managed to get some information from the well-known Octopus. Also known as the Chipping expert, he was one of those who considered torture as an expression of art. Looking at his hideous rotund face colored by a patchwork of burned and scarred skin, I was starting to miss Tokage. "Unfortunately, he said, she hasn't talked yet. It's a stubborn one, I kind of admire her courage." He said in a sadistic tone, "But it's only a matter of time. She will talk, they always do."

"Except time is exactly what we lack of," said special investigator Iba Fujishige, a grumpy and nearly retired man.

"He's right, said Arima Kishô, the actual CCG head. We have to react quickly, and mercilessly"

"What do you suggest", asked Shinohara.

"We could make a wanted notice", Suggested Juzô, in his sing song tone.

"If we do this, we have to be prepared handling a panic. This it out of question!" exclaimed Mutsuki tooru in his strict tone.

"Actually, it seems a good Idea for the most dangerous SS ghouls. We still can pretend they are human dangerous murderers, and make the police handle the announcement. We just have to tell them to pretend they escaped from an ordinary prison", Arima said. It would facilitate the research since they pulled off the trackers. Meanwhile, we will reinforce the patrols, and have the Quinques division make thorough researches in plainclothes." He instructed, while every department and section chief was taking notes.

"Now, I'd like the 13th ward agents explain the incident they encountered there Arima conclude, motioning Juzô to make his report. The kid rose from his chair and went at the front to explain

what happened in detail. After he heard all the story, Arima nodded, and get immerged in thoughts for a while before talking. "You made a great job seeing through the scheme, Amon" He said, motioning me to tell my part of the story. After I exposed the facts, I also told them about my theory, and the possible lead I thought I found about the masks.

"And you think that mask maker might know about all the organizations?" Kiyoko Asked, in a skeptical tone.

"It's a possibility, and a lead that I have to explore", I said carefully, looking at Arima and waiting for his opinion. After some other seconds thinking, he looked at me and gave me his approval.

"Do whatever it takes to know the truth, he said, but be discrete. The last thing we want is a rebellion or a panic in the 4th. The last battle we had there didn't end well for us, and I doubt the mayor will still support us if we cause havoc in his birth ward." He said calmly. "And you, he said, pointing at Shiki, put some energy into your job and get me the god damned info."

"Yes Sir"

"And, Kiyoko, I don't need to tell you to improve the security of the prison." Said guy nodded, as Arima concluded "I declare the CCG in alert state until we take back all the escaped ghouls. You all know what to do so don't waste any time." He finally said, standing up and moving toward the door. We all soon followed, getting back to work, or, like me, going home with some files to work on. Tomorrow, I'll visit that shop again and discover the truth, I vowed myself before stepping into the elevator.

**Akane pov**

It was 6pm when I had reached the Helter's door. And after I knocked for the millionth time and Tried desperately to call Itori in vain, I finally resigned myself to give up. I sighed and sat down on the little stone step before the porch, trying to decide what to do. I was beyond worried and had a very bad feeling about her that all the reasoning of the world couldn't help me to rationalize. It was an itching sensation in my guts, as if a needle was surreptitiously sneaking under my skin and stabbing my stomach with repeated tiny stings.

I thought of calling Uta, before I changed my mind as I remembered my previous conversation with Kô. Maybe Uta would be back from hi errands, and if so, I thought, I should make two bird of one stone and step by his boutique. I'd talk about Itori, and maybe try to take a closer look to the place. I didn't know if Uta really was the mask maker ko was looking for, nor if he had truly faced my captor, but It was time to solve the mystery, and turn the page once for all, I thought, as I jumped into the bus heading to the shop's nearby street. All way through, I had been trying to figure out a way to prie into his stuffs without him to notice. And as I got off the bus, I counted three probable pretexts that could let me a short while of spying time, such as "Can I see more of your work shop, your art fascinate me" Or, "Do you have something to eat, I feel dizzy". The sign Kô had told me about had been taken off, and assuming the shop was open, I pushed the door. But when I entered, making the little bell ringing, I got swallowed by thick darkness, barely cut by the shallow light entering through the showing case's glass. I was about to make my way back, when the wind slammed the door behind me, making me startle. _Okay, you got this, don't panic_, my inner voice whispered, as I was running my hands on the wall, searching for a switch. It was a small one, just on the door's left. As I turned the light on, the room got immediately bathed in red, making my eyes stinging. Maybe he got back home forgetting to close the door, I thought, walking hesitantly towards the workshop. My heart was racing as I entered the art-material filled little space. The shelves and the tools were mostly in the same position I found them the night I treated his suspicious wound, showing he hasn't been working recently. I let my hand trailing the wood furniture, looking at the different cupboards and drawers that could possibly hide his secrets. If I had to be honest, I was a bit excited. The dim lit of the space was enhancing its overfilled aspect. I started by opening the cupboards on the left side. Painting pots, brushes were meticulously stowed, sorted by colors and size. Nothing suspicious there, I thought, opening the next one. Making myself as quick and quiet as possible, I went through each one of the furniture without finding anything. Slightly frustrated and disappointed, I was also feeling relieved. Maybe he wasn't involved in anything after all, I thought, ready to go. I was about to step out, when a sudden Idea popped into my mind. Slowly making my way back to the room, I started trailing my hands under the workbench. I had sawn it in a movie. The inspector had found the missing weapon, strapped under a wooden desk. "A last little look won't kill, right?" I self-whispered as my hand reached the corner. "Nothing strapped here", I thought, meticulously fumbling the edge of the furniture. After a while, I suddenly felt a little trigger poking at my fingers. Intrigued, I smiled and held my breath as I gently pulled it. A "click" sound later, a thin drawer slid towards me, making my heart race once more. Inside, I little leather hardcover notebook and a few papers that I ignored, to focus on the main item. I held my breath once more, as I opened the notebook, all my body tensed. My heart nearly stopped as my eyes landed on a series of numbers and letters. Oh my god, I found it, I thought, convinced that I was holding the secret ledger. Not wasting any time, I grabbed my phone and took as much photos as possible. I had nearly reached the end, when a noise echoed behind me. Startled, I had a hard time not dumping the book and my heart was about to explode when I put everything back in place. I had just closed the drawer when a familiar voice filled the air, and I saw Uta leaning against the doorframe.

"What are you doing here?" He asked in his usual calm demeanor.

"Uh… I wanted to talk to you, but… all the lights were off and… I was about to go, but I remembered I lost an earring the other night. I thought that being already here, I could as well take a look, see if I could find it… and you know how much I love your Art.. I got carried away.."

"Or that's ust an excuse to prie into my life because you are madly in love with me ? He said mockingly, looking at my tomato red face.

"That's not it!" I exclaimed, being both relieved and annoyed.

"Your heart is hammering though, he said, with a skeptical tone, pointing at my chest, before getting more serious. "But it's Okay, let's say I buy that, but in that case why didn't you try to call me first?" He asked suspiciously.

"My battery is dead." I lied, shivering from head to toes.

"Well, did you find it?"

"found what?"

"the earring" he said mockingly.

"No…maybe I lost it at the bar, or on the way..."

"Sorry for that, he said, now if you excuse me,I just forgot closing the door, the shop isn't opened. I have things to do so…"

"Yeah…hm… I'll go."

"What was that thing you wanted to talk about, by the way?" He asked, leading me back to the main entrance.

"Oh, uh yeah, It's about Itori…she's missing. It's been Two days she should have reopened the bar, but she hasn't yet, and no matter how many times I try, I can't reach her. I am seriously worried" I explained, speaking without a breath.

"Well, it happens sometime. She is a free spirit you know, she probably needed some time for herself. Playing hermits somewhere…"

"Uta I have a bad feeling about it. What if she'd been attacked by ghouls?"

"What makes you say that?"

"Well… I know that some of them have recently escaped from their prison… What if Itori had been eaten or something even worse..?"

"Hey, don't worry, she's a big girl. She knows how to handle herself and she's a good fighter", he said in a soft tone reaching for my cheek with his hand. "But if you want, I can try to find her."

I trembled as I felt his fingers trailing my lips. _God, I hate this affect he has on me._

"I'd really appreciate that…" I finally said, stepping back.

"I'll call you if I find anything"

_Yeah, like you called me after the other night_, my bitter inner voice spat to my utmost exasperation.

"Okay… see you, then." I walked towards the main street and decided to go home by foot, taking some time to think. One hour later, I was back home, sitting on the couch, A huge glass of red wine in my left hand, and all the printed photos on my knees.

I had put the ones of Kô's list on my left side, and the others on my right. Ko's classification system was clearer to me, as he had explained it when he brought the lists. First came the date the CCG encountered the mask for the first time, then came the first 3 numbers or letters of the case's reference, then the name ko had given to the mask, and finally a short for the relevant ghoul's organization name. As the mask given name was also shortened to make the list more readable, the only way to be certain about it was to look at the pictures Kô had joined to the file. Of course, I hadn't the same material with Uta's list, which was far more complicated to understand. I took the first page, and looked closely at it's columns. First, came numbers, which I assumed were dates, until I saw the number 13 at the months place. Intrigued, I looked at the next one. The list differed from Kô's one in many ways, but the more obvious was the usage of Kanjis. Kô had chosen to only use roman letters. Uta on the other hand, had used Kanji in the second column. My heartbeat increased its pace as my first idea, said "names of the owners". But looking closer at said-kanji, they looked completely random. For example, one of the recent entry was 右左義 From left to right: "migi = right ; hidari = left ; gi : justice/ morality. It wasn't a name, but neither it wore a meaning. The more I was looking at it, the thicker the mystery became. I sighed and took a sip of the red liquid, taking my time to savor its slight bitterness, before looking at the last column. It was both the longest and easiest one. First came a series of numbers and Roman letters, then prices, each followed by 札 which means cash. Well, I'd have been surprised if the bandits were paying their material by credit card, I thought, taking another sip. The letters and numbers series must be the reference, I presumed. Now that it was clear, I looked once more at the first numbers. As I went through several pages, I noticed that some numbers were the same from one line to the following one. For example, 2508 followed 1208 and 0708, itself following 0812. And then, I understood. The first date containing both the month number and the year one. But the following ones were made the same year so, it was no longer month and year, but days and month that were written. Excited, I wrote down what I thought to be a part of the solution. After 3 hours of intense thinking, it was 10pm past and I needed to eat something. I tiredly made my way to the kitchen and opened the fridge. Okay, tomorrow I urgently needa go grocery shopping., I thought, staring at the one and only piece of salmon left. I turned on the TV, and started to wash the rice. I didn't really love cooking, but as a matter of fact, living required to eat, and unfortunately food doesn't cook itself. I opened the tap and let the fresh water flowing in the bowl while I was scrubbing the rice grains and absentmindedly looked at the T.V. It was a wildlife video shooting about Australia. After washing and letting the rice rest while I prepared the salmon, I started cooking it and looked once more at Ko's list. The dates were not matching those from Uta's, but nothing surprising here. Finally, I focused on the name list. They were all simple names, relevant to the associated pictures. For example, the last entry was a mask they had found the day of the attack. Its shorten name was JOCK. The associated picture I took was blurry but we could easily see a ugly smiling mask, decorated by the traditional play card pattern. So, JOCK, was the short for JOCKER. Pretty simple. After retrieving the cooked rice from the cooker, I put it in a bowl with the grilled salmon on top and sat at the dining table with the photos of Uta's ledger. But I still couldn't understand the meaning of the kanjis. Exhausted, I reported my attention to the TV, trying to take a break.

"…_Yes I am now at Canberra airport"_, I heard the reporter saying as she was standing on a tarmac. "_The rabbits are now so numerous here, that the traffic had been interrupted. Not only they are dangerous for the local fauna, but also for the economy of the whole country_." she explained as we could see an airport literally overwhelmed by hundreds of cute little fur balls. "_Some of them are carrying disease that being never encountered by the local fauna represent a huge threat for those already protected species. On the other hand, the rabbits not being a part of the local food chain, have no predators to regulate them naturally, allowing them to proliferate at an alarming pace_." Usagi (rabbit) are a threat, huh? I thought, taking another bite of salmon. "Usagi" I said out loud… "U SA GI!" I exclaimed, nearly spilling the bowl as I grabbed the leger's picture. The Kanji were not used in the Japanese manner, I realized, overwhelmed by excitation, but in the Chinese way! They are not used for their meaning, but for their reading. In Japanese, kanjis had been imported from Chinese writing in the 6th century, even now, each one of them have several reading, including what we call ONYOMI reading -based on Chinese- and KUNYOMI reading -typically Japanese- If I read those kanji using the ONYOMI system, thy are not pronounced "migi" "hidari" and "gi", but 右左義(U SAGI) USAGI. I jumped from the stool and grabbed the picture of the mask Kô had joined to his list. "I knew I had seen it !" , I exclaimed, as my eyes landed on a Rabbit mask picture. The column was indeed names. Not the client's ones, but the name of the masks. After I checked some more names to verify my theory, I came to a conclusion. Kô was right…I thought, Uta really made those masks. Which means he must also have made the one of No-face. I thought, my heart hammering my chest. And the fact he kept the ledger secret says itself that he knew about their condition… I understood, feeling more lost than ever. What would happen if Kô discovered the truth? I was afraid I already knew the answer. And I didn't know why, but I wasn't feeling comfortable about it.

**Uta pov**

I had been more than surprised to find Akane in my shop last night, but It would be lying to say part of me wasn't pleased. I wasn't sure about her reasons though. But it wasn't like I had time to wonder about it, I thought, looking at the Inspector crossing my door. for a second, I wondered if the two things were linked. After all, I didn't know how long the little minx had passed in the room before I entered, nor I knew what she had discovered. I had checked the drawer in case of, but nothing seemed having been moved. I still brought him in my apartment upstairs, and replaced it by an instruction manual about carving tools out of precaution.

"Good morning, Inspector." I greeted politely, as the man reached the counter.

"Good morning."

"What can I do for you? Any reparations for your mask, by chance? Or do you want a new one?"

"I'm not here as a client. I have some questions to ask about them."

"hmmm what do you mean?"

"I mean that lots of ghoul we encountered those last years were wearing masks. Masks, that are style-wise oddly similar with yours." He explained, looking at me straight in the eye.

"I see. Well, what can I say? I confess I never ask any personal questions to my clients. Nor about profession, nor species they might be a part of. After all I'm not selling weapon, am I?"

"Even if you say so, we found out that some ghoul's faction members were wearing masks that had some clear common points. Which makes me think that whoever crafted those, he might be very aware of their identity." He said in a calm tone, being very attentive to my every reaction.

"I can't forbid anyone to take inspiration from my Art, can I? Maybe I'm not the maker you're looking for" I suggested, keeping my poker-face."

"Well, you see, I hope you're telling the truth. I really do. Because if you don't, that would mean you might have sold those masks knowingly, which means you'd be an accomplice of the ghoul's attacks against us. In other words, you'd have a short trial before being executed for conspiracy against humanity."

"Wow, keep it cool inspector, I can assure you it's not the case at all. Far from me the idea of messing with the only authority able to protect us… look, … usually I wouldn't do that but I guess now I don't have the choice…" I said pulling out the ledger from its place under the counter. "Here is my sale's ledger. Every mask I ever both crafted and sold is clearly written down here. The other masks I made, are on the wall. But you have to promise me you won't tell my clients I gave it to you. Being devoured by ghouls or killed by some Yakuza guy is not exactly what I hope for my future if by chance you ever find someone shady among them."

"And what tells me you wrote down everything here?" He asked not even looking at the ledger.

"I guess you have to trust me, then. But I can show you my workshop as well, if you think it's necessary."

"I appreciate your cooperation, he said. Would you lead the way?"

"It's in the back. It's the only room apart from here, so you can't be lost. Make yourself at home, but please put everything back in place after you've finished." I said, pointing at the discrete door at my right. He seemed surprised as he walked towards the workshop, and entered, closing the door behind him. I very knew tkhere were now nothing to be found there anymkbore. And if I see something had been moved in the drawer, I'd know what the minx was doing back then. I'd be extremely disappointed, but at least I'd know who I was dealing with, I thought as I heard the inspector fumbling through my stuffs. After a good hour, he came back with a disappointed look, as expected."

Everything seem to be clear, but nothing tells me that you don't keep any proof elsewhere. I still take this", he said pointing at the ledger, that I handed to him. "I hope for you that I won't find any suspicious thing in there." He said, heading to the door.

"Please be sure to give it back" I said.

"Oh, don't worry I'll come back. And maybe when I do, you won't need it anymore." He finally said with a last wave before exiting the shop. Curious to know if that visit was due to the girl, I went back to the workshop, straight to the drawer. But nothing had been moved. I was about to go upstairs, when I suddenly got a call from Eto.

"Uta?"

"Any news? I asked"

"Actually I have both a good and a bad one"

"shoot"

"Well, apparently, they learned their lessons. They no longer share precious information with low-ranked agents. I captured some agents, but none of them knew one ghoul had been caught, let alone the place she was in. And I still don't know where she had been taken. But I know for sure she's not at the prison."

"What makes you say so?"

"someone saw her being transported somewhere"

"who?"

"A homeless guy that lives under the porch of an abandoned house near the bank."

"Okay… noted."

After I hung up, I texted Yomo, relaying the info. Considering the war-zone the 13th had become thanks to our little battle the other night, it would be very weird that they took her there. Which let only two options, I thought, the lab, and the main office. Both were said to be unbreakable and now that the 13th was outta order for a while, every agent would be there. The cream of the cream of the upper basket agents including the quinque division. It wasn't good at all…


	25. Chapter 24 HARD DECISION

24 HARD DESCISIONS

Akane.

I couldn't get Ko's proposition out of my head. Me, a part of the CCG… it was almost funny. On the other hand, It could help me solving the mystery of my kidnapping. He suggested I could become a consultant. If true, I may consider it, I thought, doing my morning stretching. It was a frisky morning and dark clouds were shadowing the sky. After I was done with exercises, I checked my phone hoping some News from Uta. But just like any other times, I sighed out of disappointment. Nothing.

I was about to make something for breakfast, when I remembered I was running out of supplies. I needed to go shopping for some groceries.

Not wanting to catch a cold, I dressed up warmly and put my coat on.

The closest shop was about 10 minutes walk but it was a small one and not only the articles were limited, but their prices were also abnormally high. Despite the distance I decided to go to the next one, a few blocks away. Putting my phone and keys into my pocket, I grabed my bag and walked through the door, starting to be slightly annoyed by all the locks I had installed.

On my way I thought once more about the ledger. I've been through all the entries, decoding at least the half of them, and seeing a lot of match with Kô's list. I now knew for sure Uta had made those masks. So I knew he had seen no-face…may be he even knew him personally. Should I confront him? Or should I give all the information to the CCG after all? I mean… even if wasn't keen on their methods, they've been through a lot recently thanks to ghouls organizations. And if Itori had been caught by one of them for some reason, then maybe it was time for me to stop hiding information. Especially now that Kô had officially asked me to join. Of course, I thought, turning right to enter the street where the shop was, I still could accept his proposition and continue to investigate on my own. That also was a possibility. Again, even if I'm not delighted with the idea of joining in one way or another, accepting would give me access to precious information. What I'll do with those information will depend on their nature. But at least, I may find some answer that I need to overcome my past once for all and start everything from zero. It was worth the try, I thought entering the shop.

Kô pov.

\- anything new ? Juzo asked, lazily chewing strawberry flavoured candies.

-Nop, I said exhaling.

I had been through the ledger the mask maker gave me without any significative results. At this point it could mean two things : Or I made a mistake, or the guy tricked me. In both cases, I was fucked, and tired.

\- waht are you thinking ?

\- I think the guy lied to us. I think he exactly knows who are the ghouls we are fighting and I'm certainly convinced that he indeed made all of those masks. Problem is, I cannot prove it just yet. I need more time.

\- If the guy doesn't give you anything, what about helping him a bit ?

\- what do you mean ? I asked, taking a sip of my hundredth coffee. You know the law, we cannot treat humans like ghouls. If there's not any proof, we can't touch him.

\- Yes I know that, you know that… but what if we made an exception for once ? Nobody has to know. I mean, we can get a rid of him whatever he says.

\- No. What if he's innocent ?

\- You do really think that ?

\- It doesn't matter what I think or not. I won't take that risk. I am not a ghoul.

-okay… said Juzo, sighing, I'm just kidding.

\- But … you gave an idea, I said. I can try to send an informant somewhere nearby the shop, seeing who goes in.

\- yeah… now the guy knows we're after him, good luck with that. Come on lets have some fun. They took Akira and the others to have them spit out informations about us, right ? What about you and I doing just the same? We track some ghoul down, and instead of killing them, we make them speak about the mask maker.

\- sounds good enough to me, but I don't think the heads are gonna approve this. The lead I've found weights far too light compared to our priority right now, which is, caching the prisoners.

\- They doesn't have to know, right, Rei? Juzo whispered in a wicked smile. It could be our dirty little secret, right ?

\- I don't know… If we're caught, that could worsen the situation and no matter how good my instinct is, my lead could be simply be ignored for I do not only have fans over here.

-We just need not to be caught, then…Juzo was looking at me with Half-bored, half-pleading eyes, as I was considering his suggestion, when Shinohara barged in the room in a rush.

\- we got one ! He exclaimed. Someone called us to report having seen one of the fugitives in the 4th. A squad has already been sent on the spot, you guys wanna join ?

still under surprise, I looked once more at Juzo, checking if he was thinking the same things as I did. After a second, I turned my face to Shinohara.

\- We're good, I answered. It won't make any difference if I come, as im sure you already sent the bests on field. Im still slightly wounded so If anything ill be a bother. I'd be far more useful following my lead and trying to figure this out, I explained seeing Juzo nodding at my statement.

\- it's the first time I ever hear you declining an invitation to a party, Shinohara said to the kid, half amused, half confused.

After Making sure we weren't about to change our minds, Shinohara got outta the office, closing the glass door behind him and getting ready to lead the operation.

I waited about 15 minutes after he left before grabbing my coat, motioning Juzo to follow me. I already knew some nice spot where ghouls show themselves time to time. The CCG knows the high risk district where rookies are forbidden to go even under supervision and despite of said risks, I was in the mood of doing whatever it would take to get the info I needed. Between all the spots we could have targeted, the 7th ward which had been nothing but a wild territory since the revolt was the best option. Far from the operation Shinohara was in, far from residential area, pure ghoul territory. We were told by one of our agent that humans were often driven in the 7th, in a traffic seemingly taking its roots in Azumabashi But he had been killed before we could find out more about it. We had reason to think said traffic might be linked to the series of kidapping around Nakano but with all what happened recently, that case had to be put on hold for a while. I didn't have any intention to give up though, as I wish I could at least give some answer to Akane. Actually that was another reason for me to take a look around there, and another occasion to make two birds of one stone.

-Okay lets chop some dead meat, I sais exiting the office, followed by an overexcited Juzo.

**Akane pov.**

Trying not to be too distracted by any thoughts, I looked at my tremendous list, going through it one thing at a time. The shop was small, but plenty supplied. Only a few people were wandering between the shelves which was unexpected considering the hour. For as long as I know, it always had been a quiet area, but since the prisoners have escaped, people had become more aware of dangers and started to act even more cautiously I can barely imagine what it would have been if they knew that said prisoners were ghouls. It took me more than 40minutes to pick everything I needed, before heading back to the exit, ruined but satisfied. By this time I had made up my mind : I'd accept ko's proposition. Itori was sill missing, lots of people had been hurt, and I had a life to get back. I might not share CCG's conviction nor method, but I needed them, or at least their data base. His solution wasn't bad at all. As a consultant, I'd be allowed to officially help ko while having access to the files I needed, and if I ever felt like not doing something, i just could refuse, or quit, simple as that. No bloodbath, no crime against my convictions. Or at least that's what I thought.

Holding firmly the two heavy bags I managed to fill up, and not wanting my arms muscles to be pulled on the way home, I decided on taking the bus and started to walk towards the main stop. I was still deep in thoughts when I noticed the street was nearly empty. "Now, that's something else", I thought, looking around me. The farer I was walking, the fewer people were getting. The Main Street settled in the very core of the old business center was about five blocks away. Back in old days, the 4th had been a major commercial and administrative centre, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world. Now the area was said to be nearly inhabitable exception made of the little peaceful zone I was living in. I hated to admit it but I was starting to feel quite uneasy. in fact I could nearly feel The atmosphere getting thicker. I nearly had reached the bus stop when I heard a deafening scream cutting through the air. A girl. I've already heard that kind of cry, I thought remembering the day I had been thrown in the cage. very similar to the cry the man was shouting when he got hunted and devoured alive before the auction. I could never forget it… it had been haunting my nights for months until I finally manage to get through. And just as that night, those cries brought me back to the cage. A primal, sickening fear was eating me up to the core. I couldn't focus on anything else. The sound was coming from afar, somewhere behind me and it ws getting closer. If I'd had any survival instinct, I thought, I'd run. I wanted to. I mean, I really do wanted to run. But something deep inside me prevented me to do so.

Another cry echoed in the air before I dropped my bags on the floor, running towards what I thought to be a girl chased down by a ghoul. _I got trained for this, I got trained for this_, I kept telling myself while running, i_f you ever want be part of the CCG whatever way you chose, you're gonna get used to it, come on you can do this. _The closer I got, the loudest I could hear the heart breaking _a_nd strident voice. The tiny little girl was nearly coughing her lungs now. I ran as fast as I could, trying to find the source of all that raw fear, and I was about tu turn right in a large alley, when I saw her. About thirty feet ahead, straight down the narrow little passage leading to the old gaming center, was the girl. She was carried by her mom who was running as if followed by the devil itself. The street was nearly a garbage disposal. Wanting to evaluate the situation before throwing myself to the danger, I hid myself behind a large metal dump, and watched from afar, trying to see whatever was after them. I was expecting the ghoul entering the passage at any moment but nothing came. Eventually exhausted the girl had turn into a pool of tears, her throat torn by all the cries sh'd been shouting all along. The alley seemed to stretch forever under their feet, making the mom's face even more desperate to reach its end before the ghoul could reach them.

-where's daddy? Asked the girl between two hiccups.

\- Daddy is okay, sweetie, he's right behind us, don't worry, the woman said, worry painted all over her face.

Something was off. The lady was fast, I give her that, but ghouls are said to be ten times faster than humans. It should've already been here, I thought, looking once more towards the beginning of the alley. They had nearly reached my spot when a loud noise echoed against the walls. On the other side, a white vehicle was pulling the breaks and I heard two men shouting orders. A second later, the ghoul entered the alley. It was tall, extremely tall. Covered in blood, his snake-shape Kakuho was undulating behind his back while he rushed towards the woman. He was half the way through when two armed men barged in the alley. I exhaled in relief when I noticed their white coat. _CCG_, I thought, _she is safe._

Expecting her to run even faster I turned my eyes back on the lady. But to my utmost surprise, she had freeze on the spot, facing the opposite direction, where the ghoul and the inspector were about to engage a furious fight. the air got filled by the scent of blood and trashes.

What the fuck is she doing, I thought, it wasn't the moment to be curious.

\- Daddy ! I want daddy, the girl cried once more.

_Why isn't she running ? _Funny thing is, I could have asked myself the same question.

After about ten seconds, the woman put her daughter back on her feet, and knelt in front of her.

\- I want you to listen carefully what im about to say.

\- Mommy, I-

Sweaty and shaking, with an obvious despair painted all over her face , the lady firmly grabbed her daughter by the shoulders.

-LISTEN ! We don't have much time and it is very important honey, I need you to listen to me.

The noise of the fight were echoing on the walls. One of the inspector's body was lying on the tarmac, covered in blood. The lady briefly looked at it, before facing her daughter once more.

\- I want you to run, she said. I WANT YOU TO RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN, AND TO NEVER LOOK BACK. DO YOU HEAR ME ? Her voice had grown louder as more doves where coming into the alley. The remaining one had called backup, and the ghoul who was just having the upper hand one minute before was about to see his luck turning pretty bad.

\- NO MOMMY I DONT WANT TO GO !

\- Dont worry, ev…

_\- Everything is gonna be okay. _I was suddenly facing a woman about my age_. She seemed so worried. _Her beautiful wavy brown hair sticked to her neck and right cheek, she was looking at me so intently that I could feel her distress piercing my very core. With a caring hand, she caressed my cheek in a soft gesture.

_\- Where are you going ?! _It was me talking. I know it was me because I could feel my vocal cord vibrating, but it wasn't my voice. Or so I thought. It seemed so young…

_\- I'll be right b-_

\- I'll be right behind you. The woman said, still grabbing her daughter. NOW RUN !

_What was that ?,_ I thought, looking at the scene as the images of the brunette were fading before my eyes. the woman then stood up, and ran towards the fight which had let the ghoul in a very bad posture. The girl didn't budge. She stood there, crying, eyes on her's mom's back. The woman stopped midway, staring angrily at what was remaining of the ghoul. Jaw opened in a cry of agony, the beast was know kneeling on the floor pierced by the inspector's quinque. And then, I finally understood.

Ever so slowly, I watched the woman spreading her eagle-wings-like kakuho, all her body trembling in rage. She wasn't running _from _the ghoul, they _were_ _all _ghouls, all running from the CCG. Seeing them moving on the back, I reported my attention on the doves. According to both the number and the rank of those inspectors, her chances of winning the fight were close to zero. _She must know it to_o, I thought, _She's trying to buy time for her daughter_. I kept watching the fight from afar, part hypnotised, part still wondering what I had seen just before. The girl also, kept watching, as if mesmerised by the moves. The sounds, the air, even the time, everything seemed suspended to what was about to happen. Her mom was fighting with all her heart, and honestly, she was good. But not good enough. After ten minutes of a raging fight she got her heard chopped off by the axe of a first rank fighter. That's when I heard it. The most heartbreaking cry I've ever heard. It was primal, desperate, as if someone was tearing her soule apart.

MOMMYYYYYYYY !

It all happened in a second. I don't know why I did that. No I really don't know why. I guess something, just made me move. As I watched the doves rushing towards the girl, I jumped off from my hideout and grabbed her, before starting running as fast as I could. I took her in my arms, and ran. Just like that.

\- CCG I command you to stop immediately ! Shouted the closest inspector, as I turned around the corner. The Main Street was too far for me to reach, but I couldn't go back now, I thought, trying not to be devoured alive by the girl who under panic, was biting fiercely my right shoulder, making me wince. I could feel blood and sweat leaking down my spine and damping my shirt.

-let me go ! Let me go filthy human or I kill you !, Shouted the girl while hammering me with her tiny fists.

-well just do that, you little fucker, because im nowhere near to let you becoming dove-meat ! I shouted back, trying to keep her in place. Thanks god the training I got gave me enough stamina to run without spitting my lungs out. I was changing streets, turning left, then right, not following any particular itinerary. I didn't want them to predict my move as I was trying to figure out a way to reach my apartment as fast as possible. It was three blocks away so, risky, but I didn't know where else to go. Seeing I was really trying to escape from the monsters who killed her parents, the girl eventually stop biting me and kept hanging on my neck.

I could hear the clattering of their footsteps on the tarmac, but it could just have been my imagination. We soon entered a weirdly crowed street. The CCG had probably ordered people that were out to gather in a safe perimeter, I thought, searching a quick way to avoid the crowd. If I estimated it right, we must have been turning around the old metro station 2 blocks away on the west side of my place.

\- I think they stopped following us, the girl said after a while. I didn't listened.

Wherever they were following us or not, I never turned back. Pushed by the adrenalin, I just kept running for nearly half an hour. After I got kidnapped, I had learned to get familiar with every corner of that ward. I knew every street, every dark alley every shortcut, or disused building I could sneak in. It wasn't big deal to go where the doves would have no visibility. Lots of those passages weren't even known from people, and by a little detours, some where leading nearby my place.

When I had finally reached my apartment, it was nearly 1 in the afternoon and my legs where killing me. With shaking hands, I went through all the seven locks which were looking so much friendly now, and closed the door behind me before putting the little fury down. I stood there for a while, attentive to every sound, every whisper that might indicate they where coming for us. But as nothing came, I let myself sliding along the wall and sat on the floor, in a deafening silence that only my raging breath would break.

She didn't say a word. She didn't have to. I knew perfectly what it felt like to loose a family, even if in my case it was an accident. She eventually came sitting with me, knees on her chest, probably waiting for me to move or at least, say something. But what could I possibly say ? I let my head rest on the door as I watched her breathing. Her reddish hair was a mess, and her nose had ran on her puffy lips. She had bitten herself again and again, trying to muffle her cries and I wondered if she had any voice left. _She is so small, _I thought, closing my eyes. The rumour of the traffic was filling the background, and with her head on my shoulder, we eventually felt asleep.

I woke up to her little finger poking my arm. For a second I thought she might be a product of my tired imagination, or the fading image of a dream. With one eye opened, I slowly stretched my limbs, yawning. I blinked a couple of time, expecting her to vanish, when I suddenly remembered what had happened earlier. _Oh my god, what have I done ? _

_**Ko**_

The Sumida ward was about 13.77 km², which was not so big compared to other areas in the city. Before the ghouls arise, it was said to be one of the most touristic area in Tokyo. Today it was the spot you wanna avoid. A fresh breeze slapped me in the face as I opened the door, stepping on the tarmac. We had parked the car in front of an old dinner, very similar to those we could still find along motorways. With its old cracking painting, the front seemed about to crumble down.

Whistling a childish song, Juzo leaded us toward the entrance, his scythe casualy rested on his shoulder. He never bothered to hide his weapon, I thought, taking a quick look around. As soon as we entered the restaurant, all the eyes were on us. Grannies, a few kids and some couples ogling behind the menu, watching every one of our moves.

\- Welcome to the iron shelf gentlemen, greated the waitress, what can I do for you? She had spoken in a sweet tone, but it'd be naive to think we were welcome here. Everybody was tensed.

\- Just a coffee please, I said, juzo absentmindedly checking the menu. when the girl came back with said beverage, I gently grabbed her wrist.

\- And a little conversation, if you don't mind, I added. Obviously embarrassed, the girl nodded, gazing at Juzo's scythe.

\- have you been working here for long ?

\- Its been six month, she said quietly. Her wavy hazelnut hair attached in a loose bun, she was nervously fidgeting under her apron.

\- do you have special guests sometimes ? I asked seriously.

\- Sometimes, yes… but- , she was softly biting her lips, taking a quick look around.

\- Let's be a little more direct : do you know a place we could have some fun, Once-san ? Asked the kid, caressing his blade with a wicked smile painted on his face. The girl was looking at him with big eyes.

\- We don't mean to frighten you, I said, but it wouldn't be wise to oppose a CCG investigation.

\- wait a moment here. She said, trying not to act too weirdly as she vanished behind the curtains into the kitchen. She came back with a large slice of cake that she gave to juzo with a note.

\- Now eat, and get outta here. She said frowning. juzo gulped the desert, and gave me the note. An address was elegantly written on it, in black ink. It was a place nearby. We left the place with a large tip for the waitress, letting the usual chatter filling the awkward silence.

Akane

What have I done ? I kept looking at the girl in silence for a while, wondering what to do, when her stomach started to growl. Oh, marvellous. After a year learning to fight ghouls, to escape them, and having turned my apartment into a fortress, I just brought one of those hungry monsters in my living room. Something must be wrong with me. I slowly stood up, moving towards the kitchen, the girl staring at me intently. Now the adrenaline was down, I was starting to feel a little uneasy.

\- What's your name ? I asked, part for lighten the mood, d'you have any family I could contact ? She didn't reply. She simply kept staring, in silence. Ok, I thought, too soon. You hungry ? I tried as she nodded. I could have make something IF only I had come back with my shopping bags. but thanks to our little adventure out there, I ended up with both Empty pocket AND empty fridge ! I grabbed my phone, looking for something by delivery. Do ghouls even eat something apart from human flesh ? I wondered, absentmindedly going through different menues. After a while I decided on beef meat pizza and a chicken salad. Once the order made, I came kneeling in front of the child, praying for she doesn't bite my face.

\- My name is Akane. I won't do you any harm, I promise, you are safe here, I spoke in a soft voice. She didn't react. Okay, listen, If you don't wanna talk, its fine, you don't have to, but if you can give me any address, any name at all that could help me contact your remaining family… her eyes became getting watery again. It was heartbreaking, but she couldn't stay here too long, I thought, looking at her wet face. After a moment remaining silent, I made her sit on the couch, while I poured a glass of water for her, and a glass of red wine for me. Outside, the sky had taken a darker shade of grey and rain had started falling gently poking against the window. I took a large sip of wine , watching a couple of pigeons fighting on the sill, when the doorbell rang. Still nervous, I motioned the girl to hide into my room before i went opening the door, panicked at the idea it might be ko. I sighed in relief seing the deliveryman.


	26. Chapter 25 : interesting outcome

25\. INTERESTING OUTCOME

KO

We were making our way back to the car when my phone rang.

\- Amon. Juzo looked at me, rising an eyebrow in a mute question.

\- Shinohara on call. Are you anywhere next to the fourth ?

\- No, why ?

\- we caught the Ghoul. He was running away with a female and her brood when we got him.

\- what happened to the female ?

\- we killed it. But we lost the brood.

\- Tch. it sure won't take long until you catch it. How did it escape ?

\- here's the thing, the little shit didn't escape alone.

\- what do you mean ?

\- something helped it.

\- so another ghoul was there ?

\- yeah. Probably waiting for the little family to reach an extracting point of some sort. Maybe they are still acting in groups. And do you wanna know the curious part ?

-shoot.

-we found groceries bags at the edge of the street.

\- groceries ?

-yeah two large full orange bags full of it, but no body to be seen. Which means we might have a witness somewhere who could help identifying the ghoul.

\- ….do you need me there ?

\- No, but… I just wanted you to know. Isn't your girlfriend living in the ward?

\- She's not my… anyway, I do have something to do here but… I'll check on her later.

I hung up, resisting my urge to go seeing Akane. The kid was still looking at me when I past him to open the car's door.

\- something happened ? He asked, once seated. I reported briefly the conversation I had with Shinohara, looking at the address on the paper.

-you should go, he finally said, nibbling at a lollipop. I can handle things from there.

\- No, its fine, I don't wanna let you do all the dirty job.

\- why not, he asked genuinely, after all it was my idea. And I am also worried about her, you know, I like her, she's fun. She always gimme candies.

\- you sure ?

\- yup, ne, Rei, we can have some fun just the two of us, said juzo, a broad smile on his face.

\- fine, ill take the bus, I finally said, handing him the paper.

**Akane **

What ? I asked, watching the girl sniffing the pizza with a fair amount of disgust on her face.

\- if you dont want it I can give you my salad, I said. After some more hesitation, she took a slice and brought it slowly to her little mouth, finally considering it to be eatable. I watched her rosy tongue poking at it, before she eventually consented to take a small bite. it wasn't pleasant to watch. It was like somebody was trying to force shit down her throat. For me the smell of the pizza was nothing but appealing but it was obviously not the case for her. tears appeared in her eyes as I saw her face taking a weird greenish colour.

-ok stop that, I interrupted, as she was trying to take another piece in her mouth. Its okay, I'll find something else to feed you. Even if I said so, I was feeling completely lost. Since I saw her in that street everything just got out of control. The girl started crying again, fidgeting on her chair and stubbornly trying to eat more of the horrible meal. when I put it out of reach, it was too late. I saw her swallowing a couple of time, and bringing her hands to her mouth before puking right on the floor. Great. Trying my best not to look too angry, I took a piece of tissue and started to clean the mess she made. She couldn't stay long without eating, I thought, grabbing more tissues. She was looking at me, pouting and obviously sorry. Fortunately she hadn't That much in the stomach so It didn't take too long till I had removed all the puke from the wooden floor.

\- its okay sweetie, im not mad at you. Im sorry I have made you eaten that, I said in the sweetest voice possible, cleaning her mouth. she hadn't say a word since she had threaten to kill me and I didn't know if it was due to the trauma, or if it was a choice. Either way it wasn't going to make things any easier. I sat on the floor, deep in thoughts. i had to know what ghouls could eat apart from human flesh. After a while watching her, I stood up and took her to the couch, turning the TV on.

_thanks to this act of courage, one of the escapees was apprehended during the day. The police still ignore the whereabouts of the others and hope that the citizens, inspired by the act of miss watanabe, will help them find the criminals on the run. _

the journalist was standing in front of the alley where the CGC had intervened. On screen, a close-up of a handcuffed man driving in a police car. Of course, the CCG having distributed the portraits of the escapees by making them pass for human criminals, it was obvious that they weren't going to show the remains of the ghoul couple for everyone to see. Ko made it very clear, the top priority besides catching back the criminals, was to avoid a panic. A question remained though : was the ghoul really a prisoner, or was this also a lie they made up to justify the fuss in the ward ? I reported my attention to the girl who was now staring at the screen, eyes wide opened. she probably shouldn't keep watching that, I thought zapping.

_As the criminal has been taken to the police station, a witness declared having seen a child being abducted next to the street. While we still ignore the identity of the kidnapper, the police assured that no child has been reported missing yet. _

I nearly spat my wine as I recognised the man claiming to be the witness as one of the CCG agent that went after me. "_ it was a woman with brown hair and a dark coat, he said when the journalist handed him the mike. I saw her taking the child and running towards those buildings",_ he said, pointing the direction I took with the little one.

"_But it seems that no missing child had been reported, so how can you be sure it wasn't someone taking their own child away from the criminal ?"_ Asked the journalist. _"The child was crying for help, so I doubt it was her mother," _said the agent in disguise, looking at the camera. I felt my stomach twist. After a while a policeman appeared on the screen. _"Given to those circumstances, we would like the culprit to consider what she has done, and I insure her personally, that if she gives the child back to the nearest police station, we'd be indulgent and let it go",_ he said. _The child must be around 5 years old, had blond hair and was wearing a yellow sweater, described the journalist. if anyone sees that child with a brown woman, she said, while an __identikit appeared on the screen, please call that number immediately. Don't try to come close to the suspect, she can be highly dangerous and any try to take the child from her by yourself could prevent the police to do her job eficiently. _

Now, that is fantastic, I thought, ironically. even if I could have bet the CCG wouldn't let things go easily, I certainly didn't thought they'd go that far for a child. If I hadn't took her she'd have certainly ended like her parents. The mere idea made me sick. nervously I zapped again and grabbed my laptop. Google is my friend, I thought, typing "what do ghouls eat" in the search bar. taking another sip of wine I was absentmindedly browsing all the sites suggested on the matter, when the doorbell rang once more, startling me.

-akane ? You here ?

Oh shit. It was Ko.

**Juzo **

At the address the waitress gave us, I found a long narrow street, lined with gambling dens and dismal stalls of all kinds. the place was such a cliche, I wondered for a moment if it was a joke. But that's when I smelled it : blood. I immediately felt a grinn twisting my lips. checking the paper one last time, I stopped in front of a large wooden door, enlighten by cold neon lights. up the door, a little sign was hung askew " The French Epicerie" . I gently pushed the door, whistling and stepping casualy. Dozen of oddly clean shelves were covering the walls of the tiny space. On said shelves, all kinds of glass jars were lined up almost maniacally. I took a closer look on it when a noise on the back of the shop caught my attention. before I had the time to even search for its source, I felt my body being thrown through the space before I crashed on the shelves on the left side of the room. the glass jars broken pices, scattered on the tiled floor were reflecting the pale light of the sole bulb hanged on the ceiling. I was a little disorientated by the shock and my head was ringing when I stood up, sharp pieces of glass buried in my knees. the jars squishy content was covering the ground : eyeballs, bloody ears, fingers. I was expecting a huge ghoul to stand before me, but as I rose my eyes to the enemy, I was almost disappointed to see only a frail purple hair lady with a dark one-eye red mask. With a swift move I got on my feet and dodged another assault from her huge iron-like RC cells fist. this was going to be fun, I thought, licking my lips.

" Tell me monster, how d'ya wanna die ?" I asked in a cheerful tone.

**Ko. **

I had called her phone for nearly ten times without getting any response. nervous, I pressed the accelerator, hoping that nothing happened to her. It took me a long time to reach the fourth since the ward was still closed by police forces, creating a huge traffic jam on the main road. I left the car in a parking lot nearby before heading toward her street. When I reached her door, It was the late afternoon, and I could hear the first news broadcast, yelled by the television, for almost all the corridor to hear.

\- Akane, you here ?

A moment passed while I could hear her pacing up and down, moving objects.

\- I'm coming in a minute, she said from the other side of the door. 5 more minutes passed before I could finally hear the familiar sound of the seven locks being pulled down, and saw her disheveled head popping in the doorway.

-you okay ? , I asked a little bit concerned.

\- euh yeah, sure, I wasn't expecting you that's all. You had something to discuss ?

\- You know what happened, right ?

\- No, what ?

\- You cannot possibly ignore it, do you , im quite sure all the building could hear the news sound from your apartment.

\- you talking about the 'arrestation?'

-yeah… I just wanted to make sure you're okay. One of them escaped.

\- yeah I know.

-what do you mean, you know, ? I asked, genuinely surprised.

-I mean I thought so. Since the policemen are still in the zone, she explained, a little defensive.

-Can I come in for a minute, id like to tell you something. I could see her hesitation. She seemed to consider it a moment, nibbling on her lips before slowly opening the door, clearing the way. Thanks, I said walking towards the kitchen. A quick look on the table told me she had drunk half a bottle of wine.

\- have a seat, she said pointing one of the stools near the counter. Im listening.

\- I didn't know you were keen on pizza, I said looking at the box.

\- it happens, she said, a bit moody.

\- I got a call from Shinohara, apparently the ghoul that manage to escape got some help.

\- what about that child ? They said a child had been abducted.

\- … actually the child IS the escapee, I explained. We found leftover grocery bags around the corner of said street. You weren't picking your phone, that's why I came all the way here, I explained. since you said you had some errands to do, i thought you might have been caught in the whole thing. Please, do me a favour, do not go outside alone, please.

She was now biting her lips nervously. considering she had been kidnapped nearly a year ago, no wonder she was nervous. The last thing she needed was for another psychopathic ghoul wandering around the block.

\- Apparently there was a "witness" of the whole scene, she said, pointing at the mute tv screen, that colleague of yours told about a woman. A female ghoul, perhaps ? Even if we now both know it's a lie to make people look for the child.

\- yeah.. I wasn't there so I don't know all the details just yet. But if it was a ghoul, i wonder what happened to the persone with the groceries bags.

-maybe it was a person who saw the ghouls and ran away leaving all unnecessary weight behind, before the child escaped she suggested. which was indeed more plausible. Still, something was bothering me. if Shinohara was right, and the ghouls were cooperating, the person running away before the kid escaped would imply they were there at the same time the waiting ghoul was. Still, no body was found, and inspector kino talked about only one woman leaving the scene. which let only two possibilities : number one, the ghoul chose to let the person go, as it had more important to do, even if it meant leaving a witness behind.

number two : Shinohara was wrong, and the person who took the child was the same who left the bags behind. No, that didn't make any sens, I thought, frowning. A ghoul wouldn't do that, I mean why bothering buying human food they wouldn't eat ? Just in order to fool people around ? If so, It wouldn't risk to be spotted by doing something so reckless.

\- I wonder if ghouls can eat normal things too, she asked genuinely, interrupting my thoughts.

\- No, I said, ghoul cannot eat human food. Lots of tests had been made in the lab since ghouls arisen, nothing we ever tried feeding them with apart from human flesh or in some case ghoul's flesh- ever lasted in their stomach. They would throw up immediately as their metabolism isn't made for it, I explained.

\- we haven't found any body, so its possible we have a terrified and potentially wounded witness out there, I said. Unless…

\- unless what ?

\- unless it wasn't a ghoul, I finally said, trying to picture a human taking the thing away.

\- you're not suggesting a human would help a ghoul to escape, right ?

\- well, I don't know, people do weird stuff sometimes. But if it's truly a human, I hope she's prepared for what's to come, I said.

\- you mean, being eaten alive by the very ghoul she saved ?, she asked, half joking.

\- if not, I said, and if we find her, she'd be arrested for crime against human race and be sentenced to death. I was very serious. The state wasn't indulgent on humans sympathising with the enemy.

\- why don't you just let it go ? She asked seriously.

\- what do you mean, letting go ?

\- I mean, maybe the person didn't know it was a ghoul and mistook the child for a human one. Maybe she just wanted to help a child, surely you can't possibly condemn someone for being… human, can you ?

\- its not a child, Akane, it's ghoul's breed. the one who made him escape might know something about where the others are hidden. we don't know what she was or wasn't aware of when she took it. And it's not me who make the laws. Even if you were right, and I shared your opinions, I couldn't do anything about it. But if she's indeed a human and if she made a mistake, we will grant her 24 hours to give us back the thing without arresting her.

I'll go back to the office and meet Shinohara. Ill tell you more as soon as I know what really happened. And don't trust what tv says, its merely propaganda for the public to remain ignorant. Adjusting my coat, I walked towards the door when I felt sudden urge to go to bathroom.

-would you mind if I borrow your restroom for a wh-

**Akane**

The second ko's hand landed on the bathroom doors handle, my face turned white, and I threw myself on the way preventing him from entering the room.

\- NO ! He looked at me with wide eyes, making me realise the weirdness of my behaviour.

\- I… I have bowels issues, probably the pizza, I explained. please, just go, I said Before he could respond anything. _Great, very glamorous_, I thought mentally facepalming me. Still looking at me weirdly, he parted from the door to walk towards the exit. He paused a little while, looking at the counter once more, before finally stepping outside.

\- call me as soon as you know more, I reminded him while he made his way back to the stairs.

\- I will, he said, waving. Oh, and by the way, did you have some time to consider my offer he asked, descending the first steps.

-I… still need a little more time ,I answered, wanting him to leave quickly. We waved once more and he was finally gone. Once alone I pushed back all the locks and went straight to the bathroom door behind which the girl was waiting for me.

\- you can come out now, I said, opening it widely.

The child come after some seconds and looked at me, waiting for me to say something more, but I didn't know what. That was close, I thought. But Thanks to ko's visit, I at least learnt that ghouls couldn't eat human food. It wasn't a good news though, since I couldn't feed her nor human, nor ghoul's flesh. I had to think and act quickly. She couldn't stay here too long, we almost got caught, I thought leading the child to the bedroom. She would take my bed for the night, and I would take the couch. Id would probably better for her to sleep early since I couldn't give her any food. I'd just have to close the room for her not to devour me alive while I sleep and that was it. Hey tiny hand in mine, she followed me obediently to the bed, letting me lying her down and covering her little body with blankets. I sat for a while, looking at hey in the eyes, trying to find my words.

\- you have to rest for now, I said after a while. Im sorry about the horrible taste of the pizza, I didn't know you couldn't eat anything human would. i made a pause, looking at her intelligent eyes and searching for any sign of comprehension. She was breathing steadily, her hand searching for mine. You can't stay with me, I said while her little fingers closed on my wrist. Her eyes went wide and watery. Once more I felt my heart aching. That was weird, I thought, usually my condition wouldn't allow me to feel so concerned about peoples emotions. Even if murder of families somehow always tuned my guts upside down.

-just sleep tight, I said in the sweetest voice I could, tomorrow ill find a solution if I can. I felt her grip tightening. She was frowning, her pleading eyes darted in mine. The message was clear : stay. Okay, I said, sighing. I'll stay here until you sleep.

I stood up and pulled a chair next to the bed, my laptop on my knees. it took her more than two hours to finally fall asleep, broken by all her emotions. I watched her sleep for a little while, thinking once more about what I should do with her. Tomorrow will be a very long day, I thought, feeling my own eyes closing.

**Juzo **

\- So, where were we, I said, watching the ghoul trying to heal a hundredth time from the arm I tore apart. I got her pinned on the wall with my knifes. She couldn't heal fast enough, nor could she fight the suppressor I had injected her. She was entirely at my mercy.

\- ill eat you alive, she spat while I smiled.

\- you know you won't. But I promise I can end that quickly. All you have to do, is telling me who did your mask. I said, humming, cutting through her breasts once more.

\- screw you, dove, she said, squealing, you don't know what you just stepped into.

\- you know I won't stop. Gimme my answer, monster. But do me a favour, can you hold it a bit longer, I like so much all those little noise you do when I burry my blades into you….it almost make me… excited. I had taken her mask off so I could see the pain deforming her face. It was delicious. Exquisite. I leaned onto her, inhaling the scent of blood, sweat and fear pearling at her creamy skin. Getting closer to her face, I licked her cheek where her salty tears and fading makeup had drawn black strikes until her rosy lips. I was about to slowly cut trough her abdomen, when something hit me behind the head. I lost balance before slowly falling into slumber, eyes blocked on her wicked and victorious smile. _is it how it ends, Rei ?_

**Uta **

I was thinking about a way to localise Itori more precisely, when I got an unexpected call.

\- Uta, I believe ? Said a honey like voice once I had picked up.

\- depends on who's asking, I answered, wanting to get back to my main issue as soon as possible.

\- Oh you are hurting my heart, said the voice, in a dramatic and outraged tone. I would have expect more from you since you once stole something very precious to me.

\- Go to the point frenchy, im quite busy, I spat, recognising Tsukiyama.

\- well, since you insist, no face… but you'll certainly be more interested once you'll know what I wanna talk about.

\- yeah I'm dying to know…

\- Guess who entered my sister's shop this afternoon ? He asked in a sing song voice, acting all mysterious.

\- … im losing patience, frog. Which was very true.

\- I think you really lack of fun in your life those times, don't you ? He asked obviously displeased by my harsh and pressing demeanour. The ripper himself !, He finally said, like he was pulling a rabbit out of his hat. Apparently, he seemed to show a deep interested in a certain mask maker.

I clenched my jaw.

\- what did they ask, precisely ? I asked coldly.

-well, he was alone, and he really wanted to know who had made my sister mask, he answered, to the point he had her pinned on the wall, trying to extort that information by force. Alone, I thought, well, how unusual. Are they so lacking of people since the colchea they had to divide the pairs now, I wondered.

\- By force, you said, then how did she managed to survive, I asked, genuinely curious.

\- lets say I fortunately dropped by on the perfect timing, he explained, chuckling. Well, turns out we got him.

\- and you're giving me the courtesy call, I presume, how nice of you.

\- well lets say its more a business call. You see, he's still alive, and I know you'd like to have such a piece at your little auction. Or… maybe you'd like to know what happened to our little redhead fury, he said, sweet venom in his voice. In any case, im sure you are quite eager to have it in your palm, don't you ? Im sure this guy has a lot of information that you could use.

\- well, lets say you're right, I said, internally boiling, what would you want from me in exchange for that dove ?

\- you very know the answer to that question, don't you ?

\- FINE. I said, you'll have ken, just don't dare touch a single hair of that dove.

\- PARFAIT ! He said joyfully sounds like we have a deal.


End file.
